Oceans 4Ever

Hi, ocean lovers, it’s been awhile!

After an involuntary break from posting, we’re back, and celebrating the quintessential gateway-to-summer weekend by freaking you – and ourselves – out.

Meet the awesomely freaky Dragon Moray eel – aka enchelycore pardalis. This one is mugging for the camera of Hawaii diver Steve Frisbie, owner of Wanna Dive Kona.

Fairly rare in his Hawaiian neck of the ocean, the Dragon Moray is mainly found in the Indo-Pacific (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions).

This eel grows to about three feet long, and hunts for fish by night. And the horns? They’re nasal tubes, or really long nostrils. Next time you complain about the shape of your own nose, think twice before doing so!

Have a great weekend!

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Disclaimer: if you can’t sleep tonight, it’s not our fault.

OK, we may not agree with #2, but the species spokesfish for this video was kind of…ugly.

The good news? You are having a better hair and skin day than all of them!

Check out this freaky fish fest and tell us which one gets your vote.

EEEWW!!

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It’s that time again already!

This week’s freaky installment comes to us courtesy of a diver and underwater photographer we greatly admire: Tony Wu. We dare you to visit his blog and see if his images and videos don’t immediately submerse you in a marine fantasy world of the most breath-taking creatures ever to grace this planet.

This guy is no exception. He definitely makes us draw in our breath…but it’s more out of fright than fantasy.

Meet Synanceia, who commonly goes by the name Stonefish. And not only does this Stonefish LOOK crabby, he can prove it to you – in a catastrophic way.

Here are five quick facts about Stonefish:

1) They’re not just ugly, they’re deadly.

The bumpy, rocky-looking appearance of a Stonefish gives it great camouflage for hiding in plain site on coral reefs or on the ocean floor– after all, they can easily be mistaken for just another rock or piece of coral.

That’s good for them, bad for us: stonefish sport poisonous spines all along their dorsal fin that contain a neurotoxin that can be fatal to humans.

This defense against predators earns them the title of the most venomous fish in the ocean – and the world.

2) The Stonefish lives in and around coral reefs, rocks and sometimes buries itself in the sand of the ocean floor in the waters of the Indo-Pacific region, mostly above the tropic of Capricorn.

3) It eats mostly small fish and shrimp by swimming up and herding them into its mouth with one lightning-fast GULP.

4) Its main predators are sharks and rays.

5) You don’t want to snuggle one, because the Stonefish’s bad mood will never end. Can you blame him?

Have a great weekend!

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