Life in the Abyss

The abyssal zone also known as the abyssopelagic or the abyss is a mysteriously dark area of the ocean, which is never penetrated by the rays of the sun. The zone begins from 4000m bellow sea level and it ends at the ocean floor. Only the hadal zone, often areas within deep-sea trenches and canyons, reaches deeper depths than the abyssal zone. With its extremely cold temperatures and intense pressures, it was not believed animals would be found within these depths. However, with its unique environmental characteristics, it has allowed for phenomenal animals, many of which carry a cell in their body that radiates light, to subsist.
This page has been created for my UCLA ESS 15 ocean/climate science communication project for Prof. Tripati in Spring 2012.
General characteristics of animals found in the abyssal zone:
Bioluminescence is a typical characteristic of many animals found in the abyss. The light they produce serves multiple purposes such as reproduction (attracts their mates), to obtain food, to protect themselves from predators (by camouflaging), as well as staying together in school groups of fishes as they travel.
Food in the Abyss:
Food is scarce in the dark Abyss zone of the ocean. Most nutrients are abundant in the sunlit surface of the ocean hence, the food that falls from these areas make-up most of the food in the deeper end of the ocean. Whenever a large fish, a rare surprise such as a dead whale’s body travels below to this region, it is quickly eaten.
Marine snow is the most common source of nutrients that the animals receive from the surface of the ocean. Marine snow refers to debris found in areas densely full with remains of organisms from the surface. The deep-sea water is filtered by salps who’s tunicate of tentacles trap detritus and other sources of food.
A recent discovery made in the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute is the existence of transparent and large jelly animals that trap detritus as it falls by releasing a mucus like substance.
Larger animals that are higher in the food chain focus on hunting other animals. A few are capable of swimming up to the surface of the ocean in order to obtain their meals. The do this however, at night when the danger of getting eating by their predators is lower.
Reproduction in the abyss:
Reproduction is similar in all depths of the ocean. The difference however, is the lack of light, scarce amount of mates, and the large distance between them due to the scarcity of animal life. The common steps involve the production of sperm and the production of eggs that are then fertilized as they are moved around by the deep-water currents. The processes of finding mates in this region include lights that attract other fish or chemicals that release a smell in the water.
Some animals such as the lantern fish perform a specific pattern of light that indicates their search for a mate. The photophores that the lantern fish contain on their sides are what enable them to produce light.
Another extraordinary organism called the angler fish produces a chemical that lures the mates through smell. Upon finding the mate, the female fish is bitten by the male and permanently attached. It is possible for multiple males to bite onto one female fish. The males receive their nutrients from the female as they begin to merge into her. First the mouth fuses, and then the bodies’ veins fuse, until finally the male, as a whole becomes a sack of sperm on the female.
The mysterious existence within high pressures:
The depths of the abyss are regions at high pressures that a human’s body cannot endure. The compositions of the human body frame, which hold large air space within, make people unsuitable to survive such high pressures. These pressures however, do not have as much of an effect on the water filled bodies of the deep-water creatures. Some animals even have a swim bladder filled with gases. The gasses adjust in volume according to the depth’s pressure to which the animal has swum.
The abyss’s hidden wonders:
A few of the phenomenal animals found in the dark depths of the ocean include
The Giant squid: This squid can travel through the multiple depths of the sea to reach the oceanic surface. Its body holds its frame due to its cartilaginous skeleton and its large head contains a relatively large brain. The squids eight arms and its two tentacles surround its mouth.
The Viperfish: The unique feature of this fish is its long sharp clear teeth, which makes it dangerous despite its small body length of 1ft. It uses its teeth to catch its meals and it contains photophores (light organs) within his belly.
The Gulper eels: Another animal whose size might fool some of its prey is the Gulper eel. Despite its size, it can be danger to some fish larger than itself. This creature obtains a length of up to 4ft yet its large mouth and head facilitate its swallowing process. Also, its elastic stomach is what enables it to feed on prey larger than itself.

The Hatchet fish: The light produced by the Hatchet fish underneath its body simultaneously protects it from predators as well as attracts its prey. The fish’s large lensed eyes allows it to find its food such as shellfish and other small-glowing fish.

The Anglerfish: This fish also uses the light it produces to attract its prey and it will eat about any fish. An interesting physical trait of this animal is the extra piece of dorsal spine that the female anglerfish has at the edge of its mouth. The tip of the spine contains extra flesh which lights up. As the fish stays still, it can wave around the light and attract its prey.

Sources cited
Singha, Rajib. "Anglerfish Facts." Buzzle.com. Buzzle.com, 12 Jan. 2012. Web. 21 May 2012. <http://www.buzzle.com/articles/angler-fish-facts.html>.
"DEEP SEA CREATURES." ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation. Web. 21 May 2012. <http://library.thinkquest.org/4106/>.
Morelle, Rebecca. "Meet the Creatures That Live beyond the Abyss." BBC News. BBC, 22 Jan. 2010. Web. 21 May 2012. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8426132.stm>.
"Deep Sea Fish : Description, Food, Reproduction, Adaptations, Facts of Sea Fish." Deep Sea Fish : Description, Food, Reproduction, Adaptations, Facts of Sea Fish. Web. 21 May 2012. <http://www.allthesea.com/Deep-Sea-Fish.html>.
"Deep Sea Photography - Deep Sea Animals." Deep Sea Photography - Deep Sea Animals. Web. 21 May 2012. <http://www.deepseaphotography.com/deepsea_animals.html>.
"File:Pelagiczone.svg." - Wikimedia Commons. Web. 21 May 2012. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pelagiczone.svg>.

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