DEEP-SEA creatures are organisms that live thousands of feet below the photic zone – the uppermost layer of the ocean that receives sufficient sunlight to carry out their survival activities. Examples of deep sea creatures include sharks, crabs, sea urchins, vampire squids and whales. These organisms are subjected to extreme [ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”show” ihc_mb_who=”2,3,5″ ihc_mb_template=”1″ ] harsh conditions such as little food, low levels of oxygen, pitch darkness, extremely cold temperatures and of course the pulverizing pressure.
On the earth surface, the air pressure around us is equivalent to 1 atm. As we go beneath the waves, the pressure exerted on our body increases by 1 atm for every 10 meters we descend. A typical human body would be crushed – eardrums rupture, lungs would be filled with blood and we would instantly suffocate. The pressure felt underwater comes from the air particles in our bodies being compressed. Intense water pressure compresses the air present in our ears, sinuses, lungs and blood vessels. These creatures on the other hand have adaptations to accommodate their deep-sea lifestyle. While some creatures live full time in the deep sea, others only dive to feed.
Examples of deep-sea adaptations can be observed in the Cuvier’s beaked whale. These whales have collapsible lungs. They store oxygen from the air they breathe into their muscles and blood while diving because they have higher levels of oxygen-storing molecules, the haemoglobin and myoglobin in their body as compared to other whales. These whales can also reduce their heart rate and temporarily stop its blood flow to some parts of the body which helps the oxygen to last longer.
Some other special adaptations of deep-sea creatures include holding breath for hours, reduced movements by gliding downwards rather than swimming, lowered metabolic activity, and lung like swim bladders among others. It is very difficult for scientist to conduct studies on deep-sea creatures because they die when brought up to the surface. Hence, they might be many other noteworthy features which we may not have discovered. [/ihc-hide-content]
