Ready to meet some seriously strange creatures? Things you won’t believe actually exist?! Then take a deep breath and join National Geographic Kids as we dive into the deep to get up close and personal with the ocean’s weirdest wonders…

 

Leafy Sea Dragon

leafy sea dragon

Kangaroo Island, South Australia, Australia. A leafy sea dragon fish.

This may look like your average piece of seaweed but, believe it or not, it’s actually a fish! Found along the southern and western coast of Australia, the leafy sea dragon is a member of the same family as the seahorse – the Syngnathidae family. They grow to around 20-24cm long and feed on plankton and small crustaceans. Moving through the water using their tiny fins, this fab fish”s long, leafy extensions allow it to hide from predators by blending in with seaweed! David Attenborough has said he counts the leafy sea dragon as his favourite animal. Cool, eh?

 

Christmas Tree Worm

christmas tree worm
Christmas Tree Worm (Spirobranchus giganteus) filter feeding while attached to Great Star Coral (Montastraea cavernosa), Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, Caribbean

Christmas Tree Worms are found on coral reefs in tropical waters around the world. They get their name from the two spiral “plumes” that look just like – yep, you guessed it – Christmas trees! These hair-like tentacles grow from their small, tube-like bodies, and are used for feeding on microscopic plants and for respiration, allowing the worm to breathe. These cool critters come in different colours, including orange, yellow, blue and white!

 

Anglerfish

ocean's strangest creatures anglerfish
Deep sea anglerfish (Diceratias pileatus) uses bioluminescent lure to attract prey. Brought up from a depth of 3,300 feet (1000m) in water intake pipe at Natural Energy Lab of Hawaii, Keahole, Kona, Hawaii

Now here’s a creature that might give you a fright! With its huge head and enormous mouth, these fearsome fish swim in the dark depths of the ocean. Ranging from around 20 centimetres to one metre in length, there are more than 300 species of anglerfish, most of which are found in the Atlantic and Antarctic oceans. So what makes this creature super strange? Well, the female has her own glowing light hanging above her mouth! This luminous flesh attracts unsuspecting prey close to the anglerfish”s sharp, see-through teeth and then…chomp!

 

Northern Stargazer

northern stargazer
Whitemargin Stargazer, Uranoscopus sulphureus, Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Ever seen a fish that looks like this before? Found mainly off the east coast of the United States, this creepy creature grows to around 50cm long. It has a blackish brown body with white spots on its head, and stripes on its tail. The wacky bit? The northern stargazer’s eyes and nostrils are located on the top of its head, and, unlike most fish, its mouth faces upwards! This cunning critter buries itself in the sand, leaving its eyes poking out. And when an unlucky smaller fish swims by, it rises up and swallows its meal in one big gulp!

 

Red Handfish

ocean's strangest creatures wobbegong red handfish
Red handfish, Thymichthys politus, rare and critically endangered species known only from this area, Southeastern Tasmania, Australia (Photo by: Auscape/UIG via Getty Images)

Rather than swim through the ocean like most of our fishy friends, this cool creature prefers to walk along the seafloor! Found in the waters of southern Australia and Tasmania, it grows to around 15cm long and has skin covered in tooth-like scales, called “denticles”. So why the name “handfish”? Well, these quirky creatures move around the ocean floor using a unique set of fins that look similar to human hands. There are other kinds of handfish, too, including the spotted handfish and the pink handfish.

 

Wobbegong

ocean's strangest creatures wobbegong
Indonesia, Tasselled wobbegong (eucrossorhinus dasypogon) sitting on a rock on the ocean floor.

Meet the Wobbegong, a species of the “carpet shark” family – not the piece of old rug that it may first seem! To find one of these super sharks, you’ll need to explore the tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean. Wobbegongs spend their time resting on the sea floor, camouflaged by their flat, tasseled bodies. There they wait for a tasty treat – including fish, octopuses, crabs and lobsters – to pass their way, before…gulp! Some wobbegongs have also been seen to slowly sneak up on their prey, too, in search of some grub.

Photos: Getty Images UK

Likes

LEAVE A COMMENT

THANK YOU

Your comment will be checked and approved shortly.

WELL DONE,
YOUR COMMENT
HAS BEEN ADDED!

COMMENTS

  • super cool

  • Genevieve

    So cool

  • freg

    woah

  • Incredible. My favourite is the wobbegong

  • Katie

    So cool!

  • ELLIE

  • Hello

  • Eric Hu

    Awesome!

  • Eric Hu

    Awesome!

  • Wow

  • Arianna

  • Ella

    This is super interesting. My favourite one is the Red Handfish.

  • Micah

  • Dolly

    These are super cool!

  • Donidaze

    WHAT? These are crazy. I didn't think they were even real! I researched these creatures on the internet and I saw some of the photos they used. I learnt something new today about fish.

  • Julianna Zarate

    Try your best

  • Gfff

  • Cool

  • Eh

    Cool beans!

  • ERIN

    COOL!

  • Zero

    cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool

  • Kassie

    Cool

  • Jada

    The fish is big it get people

  • Viyan

    Coolest ever!

  • Cool

  • Nicole

  • Yujun

    Cool

  • You set

  • i have seen an anglerfish

  • Samantha

    Cool as creachers my fav is the leafy sea dragon

  • Samantha Gentle

    Cool as creatures I love the Christmas tree worm

  • Jameson

    Coolio

  • attttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt

    creeeeeepy

  • purplesealion

    awesome

  • Reece92

    So cool love the facts

  • epicburger123

    ok

  • epicburger123

    ._.

  • sddvfb

    cool

  • Chevelle

    Its so cool stuf about sea creatures

  • angel dragreages

    these are great facts about animals and helps me with my homework

  • styj

    WHERES THE VIDEO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:(:(:(:(:(:(

  • IndigoRiver

    do ya know out of all the fish in the sea the angler fish is my fav it has been for a long time

  • kirby

    I love these fish!!!

  • Gorwel

    they are very weird and wacky especially the red hand fish it is very funny

  • Taheim Brown

    LOL

  • Calaena

    Magneficent and Breathtaking!!!

  • adsharc

    you put allot of efert in this websight

  • Filly

    This is very interesting

  • hulkbuster

    its owsome

  • OLLY24

    Its AWSOME!!!!

  • ontaria11

    Amazing sea creatures!!!!

  • 1234567890njcgjgjmmhj

    sick

  • Class 4B

    We really like this web page.

  • booooooooooooooooooooooooo

    lol

  • mitt008

    sssssstttttttttttrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaannnnnnngggggggg

  • van

    coool

  • Hans12

    it is cool

  • joemmmmm

    awesome

  • Amber

    Some cool photos

  • Amber

    Cool

  • hart

    Good for my biome

  • hart

    good for my biome

  • Jessier

    That is just the weirdest thing Ive ever read.

  • Grace lola -9

    They look amazing!

  • BIGBADWOLFENDY

    Huh? these things are rally STRANGE… X-D

  • CHEDHLI

    spectacular!

  • joshua 2227777

    yay

  • joshua 2227777

    awsome

  • 23ty23ty

    lol

  • Shopiey

    Yeh cool

  • KarmelKitkat

    I like NG Kids! Thanks for the facts! I could write some down on paper for School :D but the Nothern Stargazer scared me tho!

  • gfudgwie

    really awesome I love it

  • Gecko_lover_XD

    LOL

  • aryplayz331

    THESE ARE THE WEIRDEST CREATURES IVE EVER SEEN!1!!!!!!!!!!

  • tandon

    asom

  • Girl-1

    Completely AWESOME!!

  • Lars

    The nothern stargazer looks freaky but all of them are amazing!

  • keiraf41

    its great and silly at the same time

  • slugterra

    coooooooooooooollllll

  • Social

    Wicked

  • Iwan

    I thought it was amazing to see such weird fish and sea creatures all on one national geographic page it was bliss!

  • the top man 111

    this is banter and just mad

  • RAINBOWDRAGON

    AMAZING these animals are freaking me out!

  • RAINBOWDRAGON

    AMAZING! These creatures freak me out a lot!

  • natt

    the northern stargazer is creepy x10

  • rainbows

    they look but ugly

  • cdxfvghhb

    MAJOR COOL GUY!

  • Littlemouseathome

    Never new that but now I do !!!!

  • MIless

    COOL

  • MrFrog-246

    cool I love it!!!:) The Red Hand fish is the weirdest and the BEST!!

  • skyla21

    I found this very interesting because i didnt even know any of them even existed! I would love to see more curious looking creatures and know much more about them all.

  • lily

    cool

  • SeaMan

    I Like This Website!

  • ACAK9

    That was amazing all the different pictures and the facts make it sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo interesting

  • ggggg

    nice

  • petra

    I am a witch.

  • Lor

    wow

  • ghgh

    Cool!!

  • Oski

    Awesome!!

  • dogesmasher177

    *shivers* some of them are gross

  • kiera999

    seahorse is my favorite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Supersquid59

    Woah!

  • S

    Wow

  • S

    Wow

  • BOBnbjhgfbhdiof

    epic

  • oceanico

    amazing and totally wierd

  • TheGoldenwolf76

    Weird

  • LiaSellyei

    Thanks for the great information and pics! :-)

  • KingL90

    this is cool

  • kiddietigerbare111

    These creatures are sooooooooooo cool! Thanks National geographic kids for giving me more information!

  • Ssundee

    Soooooo SICK

  • omgloveit

    i love this site!!!

  • Yuck8

    Great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Maxinemarianesleta

    By the way the hand fish is not the cause of evolution

  • Maxinemarianesleta

    Ok my thoughts on the red hand fish some people think that might be the cause of evolution but for it is not

  • 70saintspider

    Save the sharks

  • Happy halo333

    Lovely helped me a lot

  • freddybfhvcf

    I love sea creatures

  • poppys

    thanks allot for the facts

  • poppys

    wow wow wow thanks for the facts National Geographics

  • dareeya

    I love it so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!$$$$$

  • nooba

    Thats weird

  • nooba

    Soooooooooo! weird!

  • Grace bastable

    I love this lol

  • Grace bastable

    I learnt so much!!!!! Thanks

  • Evangeline145

    So amazing! Wow!

  • eric

    poop

  • Ethan-L

    Awesome

  • 10lw18

    cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool c

  • Sharky5

    These are the most dorkiest creatures ever.

  • Jackson

    Booooo

  • Jackson

    Lol

  • ramatu

    that is really cool guy isn t it but bye

  • jake11

    nous

  • Aasil Khawaja

    Aasil Khawaja

  • alex

    sooo cool and woow and cool a nd wow and soooo wooooooooooow

  • EpicNature

    Thats Cool!

  • kyleene

    wow IT IS AMAZING i did`ent know there were so many diffrent animals under the sea

  • Abilovesanimal

    COOOLLL!!!

  • the_lion_king_

    cool I did not know most of them existed until now thank you for showing :) :0 :1 :I

  • Hogs123

    Lol

  • FreyaC193

    cool!

  • ARYAH

    WOW

  • ARYAH

    WOW

  • ARYAH

    WOW

  • ARYAH

    WOW

  • NGkids

    You should include blowfish, its funny!

  • Cessie

    Awesome!

  • amiie

    cool

  • keeley

    AWSOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • amiie

    AWESOME

  • keeley

    COOL

  • Ssssss

    Cool

  • adison

    so awesome

  • jake445566

    noys

  • #Cool_dude117

    Elephant weigh as much as a blue Wales tongue

  • Killerbert246

    LoL

  • isiah

    so freak me out i wet my pants

  • Catalin

    Very awesome legendary

  • chiaanimalfan

    they are really wierd but awesome!

  • 123896GO

    SO COOL !

  • noodle

    wow! i never knew so much about the sea!

  • jackkinka

    looks cool

  • EllieAlice

    A and E;I liked the fish with legs it was silly!!!

  • Q

    Wow cool

  • Kennan

    This is amazing...and creepy!

  • Kennan

    This is amazing...and creepy!

  • nlap

    wow

  • koke

    cool

  • Edwin Marquez

    My favorite!

  • fynn

    i love the angler fish.

  • wilber351

    CRAZY!

  • DJB

    Cool!

  • Pig-Lover123

    it kinda freaked me out, but I have seen a jelly fish the size of 2 double decker buses before! I never knew that the ocean had such amazing creatures in it!!!

  • Peachy

    I never knew the ocean was so weird and wonderful!

  • connor11

    cool

  • Guru

    Weird but cool

  • Ern

    EPic love wobbegong

  • Scorpion

    cool

  • Cormac

    What a great collection of weird and wonderful things! Loved it.

  • Seabluescience

    i like this

  • maxx

    Wobbegongs are funny!

  • James

    Rocks

  • Venkatesan

    Awesomely awesome awesomely addictive

  • DAULET719

    wierd but cool!

  • mohamedamin

    fablous

  • jake44556

    yay

  • KhalilahamdMaggie

    AWESOME

  • jake44556

    kool

  • lbug7

    that is so cool

  • Scuba-Diver

    I love extraordinary marine life!

  • SophieW

    Wow, these creatures are amazing!

  • Jarvis

    cool animals

  • jake4455

    marine biology yaaaaaaaaaay

  • Seahorse Sahara

    Wow weird anmials

  • elea

    they are weird

  • ibiz

    ASOWMELY WIERD.

  • Mahier

    this is great learning for me

  • moana

    They are so weird and agly some look like rusty rocks

  • izbiz

    awesomeness!!!!

  • Aoife 4537

    Thàts weird

  • animalfan

    there pretty cool

  • sammm

    the northern stargazer is so scary !

  • Factgirl

    When I saw the picture of the angerlerfish I was on the edge of my seat amaze facts awesome

  • Bobble

    Weird i never knew any of these creatures before! ( :

  • aston

    yyyyyyyyyiiiiiiiiiiiiikkkkkkkkkkkksssssss!

  • lbug7

    cool!

  • Shan

    Lovely

  • Please

    I would like some more creatures please

  • Ellie-Elephant

    The Wobbegong is cool

  • Narva

    I always wondered about some weird creatures of the ocean,but now I have seen some so thanks alot

  • Giomar

    cool!

  • Becky123

    Wow

  • sscooldudess

    awsome

  • Delisha

    Its nice but more facts

  • MC_QUACK

    Pretty cool and yet pretty weird!! #Funny

  • mateo

    wow this website is good

  • seasand

    weird!!!

  • Nishy

    A little bit weird but awsome well at least a little bit awsome plus the wobbegong and afialy the most weirdest.

  • doll

    wow

  • mikel

    i didnt know there were so many cool fish

  • T

    Freaky but cool, I repeat freaky but cool

  • 78910

    Wow I never knew animals who live under water are amazing

  • lagops

    cool

  • 1000-78_teddy

    Where are the sqid facts for the kids

  • thunderboyz

    awsome

  • Cody123

    Very cool

  • Hemish

    Nice learning for school:)

  • Hemish

    Nice learning for school:)

  • lolkiuj

    cool

  • kristaps

    nice history for homework

  • sebasticus

    bit creepy

  • kadence

    weird.. but cool!!!

  • shivanshi

    Intresting

  • sofe

    coolyo but creppy

  • 1234

    WOW

  • 12ed

    EPIC

  • 12ed

    Epic animals :)

  • Younes

    Amazing

  • Duncan

    Weird but wonderful!!!

  • turtlederp

    over the moon be the same crazy animals

  • Iby

    Thats the weirdest thing Ive ever seen in my life.

  • esperanza

    thts sooo cool

  • dragonhero

    Totally crazy

  • eriana

    that was so silly

  • Ivy4

    CRASY WHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is that the first! WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Olaostra1

    Epic and cool

  • shae

    Amazing and freaky.

  • Saphire

    Love underwater sea creatures and how strange they are my favorite animal was the Christmas tree worms and the Red hand fish.

  • realCookie

    new favourite subject. strange creatures in the sea

  • anna2323454

    asome

  • Nicolette

    Crazy!

  • Break-free

    Seriously freaky!

  • Aaron 123 qwerty

    Weird definitely weird

  • Elfondijo

    SO WEIRD!!! my fav is the christmas tree worm!

  • Elfondijo

    dude so awsome

  • ABC 123

    THOSE ARE SOOOOO STRANGE!!!!!!!! THERE LIKE ALIENS!!!!!!!! MY FAVE SEA ANIMAL IS THE SEA HORSE!!!! ( LOL)

  • NilJaiMil

    cool and freaky

  • Sparkle10

    This is so interesting and fun dont you guess think

  • Sarahe1209

    the red hand fish is awesome loveit!!!!!!!!!11

  • Joe

    these cretures are so awsome dude i wish i had one of those fish acittuly i wish i had all of those crusty things

  • Isabelle

    Weird

  • 12344

    awsome

  • sofieke

    Amazing creatures of the sea!

  • lizard14

    We are looking at sea life at school the seaweed seahorse one especially interested me!

  • superkid1111

    ;-D

  • Finn

    weird no double weird no triple weird no quadruple weird

  • KATARYAZAN

    tHE ANGULAR FISH IS IN nemo! i REALLY ENJOYED THE CHRISTMAS TREE FISH

  • emmaandlola

    this is pretty cool

  • Brandyboo

    This website is AWSOME

  • Melody99

    Learning is AWSOME!

  • hannah

    facts are cool

  • bethany123leeds

    there are some wacky little ugly animals in the sea #wierd ...

  • imani

    some creepy but cool animals the creepiest one was the Wobbegong

  • mia

    cool they are freaky but cool

  • 123PAA456

    these creatures are so weird and great at camouflage!:)

  • ellie-mai

    amazing sea critters though never heard of any of them lol :)

  • Jodie

    I think these animals are so cool

  • Maryam

    Cool!

  • Hemma

    This is really cool!

  • thiscole

    cool

  • thiscole

    I think the red hand fish is the coolest but also weird!

  • thiscole

    wow never heared of most of these bizarre creatures

  • Sophie

    I think the animals that I have just seen were amazing. I mean I knew there was fish in the sea but I never knew there were things like that!

  • BlueBaboon

    Awesome!though the stargazer freaked me out a little. Love BlueBaboon xxx

  • Niamh

    I really didnt like them and I really, really, really would not like to bump into one of them in the swimming pool!

  • arthur

    they are so cool I wish I could have one.

  • jordan

    this is so weird

  • olivia

    i love the sea and when i am older i want to be a marine biologist. but these fish have really helped me study. the sea is more than you think but there is nothing to hate about the sea! my adventure is just begining.

  • Evie

    I didnt know there were fish like that in the sea. COOL!!!

  • bailey

    omg these r so cool the angler fish is wicked!!1

  • Fifi

    Red hand fish is so imaginative

  • Fifi

    Its so ugly but cool

  • turtleshell1000

    these are so wacky!!!!!!!!

  • oliver

    they are so weird

  • SUSIE

    Theyre WEIRD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • JoJoCoolBoy123

    The pics ars so cool!!! I wish i could be there with you have a good time ok!!!

  • Sloth123

    Epic!!!!!!

  • viking10573

    wow, amazing fish are incredible

  • Emily

    Cool

  • crazydolphin711

    wow!

  • 35i2sa

    wow i wish i was a fish

  • alice

    scary

  • James

    Freaky!!!

  • annailsa

    Id really like to learn more about freaky fish!

  • Violet

    LOL!!!

  • akasha

    i love sharks and defiantly MEGALADONS .

  • testing12

    nice fishes

  • Harvey

    cool pictures!!

  • Topidia

    Lol so cool

  • calum

    a dinasaur

More Like Sea Life

Sea Life

Cheeky seal hitches a ride on a kayak!

What do you do if you’re a seal and you fancy a rest, while swimming out at sea? Well, hitch a lift of course!
Sea Life

Loggerhead turtle facts!

How much do you know about these beautiful sea creatures?
Sea Life

10 totally awesome facts about turtles!

Check out these turt-ally mad facts about turtles!
Sea Life

Jellyfish Facts!

Join us as we travel the oceans far and wide with these electric jellyfish facts!