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#2

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver Are we just not going to talk about a telescope fish

ashlioness , Dave Johnson Report

Final score:

271points

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Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 11 months ago

Gizmo! What did the gremlins do to you?

100points

Naliano , NASA's Terra Satellites Report

#3

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver The Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

Final score:

247points

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Upstaged75 11 months ago

Which one?

103points

#4

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver Leopard seals. It’s something about their eyes. They’re large, fast, basically silent predators outmatched in their environment only by the Orca. Their jaws open to almost 180 degrees and they have a bite force comparable to a bull shark. The sound they make fills me with a very primal fear. And in the right lighting their eyes are terrifying. I think it’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing thing, but instead of a wolf it’s a flipping prehistoric water monster.
Edit: I have learned more horrible facts about the leopard seal, a creature I now worship out of fear there may be one under my bed. These snake-headed murder puppies are (on average) 10-foot-long 600-pound prehistoric killing machines that see any warm-blooded animal smaller than them as prey. Females have been measured to top 11.5 feet long and weighed at over 1,100 pounds of pure, flesh-ripping terror. The corners of their extremely long mouths are permanently curved upward and sometimes they smile. Shocking no one: this is usually a sign of aggression. Nothing can erase from my mind the image of these terrible fuzzy Jeff the Killer beasts *smiling.* Their heads average 14.5 inches long (awful), with jaws that can open to 160 degrees — significantly larger and any one human limb or head (I hate this). Their teeth? Guys? Holy f**k, their teeth? (TW: slightly gross uncleaned skull)
Their lower jaw is MASSIVE, even for a predator. Leopard seal skulls and bear skulls are too similar for my liking. Seal eyes have spherical lenses (what the f**k), giving them a field of vision of about 280 degrees. With both eyes, they can see basically clearly 360 degrees. Humans have about 130 degrees of visual field, and maybe 180 total degrees of vision. If you can see a leopard seal, it has already seen you. You can’t sneak up on these (need I remind you, virtually silent when hunting) murder monsters. They’re skilled at adapting to many climates and food sources, so much so that in a world where polar bears and orcas are struggling, leopard seals are considered “of least concern” on the endangered species scale. The way they eat penguins is to essentially catch them and throw them into the air until the penguin is fully degloved. They throw penguins *out of their skin*. They also have highly developed craniofacial musculature, allowing them tongue dexterity and a powerful bite force. They sometimes hunt by just… sucking prey into their mouths underwater.

Bravadu , Animalogic Report

Final score:

233points

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Angeldust McQuade 11 months ago

lol “ snake-headed murder puppies.”

145points

Ronnie Beaton 11 months ago

Good name for a band.

1point

Squishy 11 months ago

Lol! This was fun to read, I'm usually too lazy to read the long posts but I could read a whole book on leopard seals by this absolute author haha

66points

Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 11 months ago

Thank you, no. I'll stick with cats.

22points

Puppy Dancing! 11 months ago (edited)

Had one who jumped into boats in BC and would threaten the occupants, causing people to stupidly give the seal their catch, which made it impossible for those without a catch to get the nasty threatening seal out of their boats. Many abandoned ship. Do not feed wild animals.

18points

rullyman 11 months ago

That can't have been a leopard seal because they don't live in the northern hemisphere. They're antarctic seals and they are dangerous. A 28 year old marine biologist was killed by one in 2003

17points

Duuuuuuude 11 months ago

"Bite force comparable to a bullshark". Because the bite force of a bullshark is common knowledge. Seriously though, I loved this.

13points

Natalie H 11 months ago

IMO humans are way scarier, and not nearly as cute. Except for Jason Momoa. He’s cute af.

12points

Bored Potato 11 months ago

I’m more concerned with how the leopard seal THROWS A PENGUIN OUT OF ITS SKIN??

11points

Legen ( wait for it ) dary 11 months ago

Have things that are not to Google, and this is one of them, trust me.

7points

Irishwoman abroad 11 months ago

That bit is absolutely blood-curdling

1point

Emotional Support Velociraptor 11 months ago

My stupid meat raisin of a brain is now imagining in detail this exact process and I hate it.

0points

Judith Sneed 11 months ago

I dunno... I still think they are cute 😆

9points

T J R 11 months ago

Same. Now I know I'll never be able to pet one...although I might still try and die happy.

6points

PlatinumThe8-BitCat 11 months ago

“Leopard seals, natures snakes”

7points

Mark 11 months ago

Aren’t snakes nature’s snakes?

21points

Madster 11 months ago

I don't think they like Leopard Seals, guys..

6points

My O My 11 months ago

What makes you think that?

5points

Denise Melek 11 months ago

Had to look up their sounds, jaws and eyes. OP is totally right.

6points

Alecto76 11 months ago

A lot of "adorable" animals are terrifying. See 'animal kingdom serial killers' otters.

5points

Shark Lady 11 months ago

I've been frightened of them ever since I watched Eight Below.

5points

Anthony Jordan 11 months ago

Cute rascals.

4points

Stephanie Evans 11 months ago

Great writer. I don't care if the information is factual or not--it was such a fun read!

3points

Megan ️ ️ 11 months ago

But then you see how cute they are and then you will forget that they are snake-headed murder puppies

3points

Maikai 11 months ago

Excellent writing!

3points

Nice Beast Ludo 11 months ago

Oh lies...it's much too cute to be so scary...*goes to cuddle*

3points

Jack Burton 11 months ago

The "least concern" fact is the point. Leopard seals are so dangerous even mankind is not a danger.

3points

Earthquake903 Premium 11 months ago

This person should write every description of everything ever, lol

2points

Cherie Wilson 11 months ago

I always kept an eye out for these when I was in Antarctica. They bite holes in Zodiac boats and chase you aggressively if you are in a boat. They will kill a diver. They haul out on ice floes and wait for unlucky penguins that hop out of the water. They kill other seals and basically anything that gets close to them. When they yawn, their mouths are blood red inside, lined with lots of sharp teeth. Scary!

2points

Blake Worthington 11 months ago

Looks cute

2points

#1 Candevil Fan 11 months ago

Thats a lot of words only about snake headed murder puppies

2points

Nikki Sevven 11 months ago

Paragraphs, ffs.

2points

Fynne 11 months ago

Aaaaaaaaa 4c64075cbe...2f33f.jpeg

2points

Eric Williams 11 months ago

Feel better now?

2points

Bubs623 11 months ago

Yep. New fear unlocked.

1point

BigCityLady 11 months ago

They look so adorable, non menacing and defenseless yet these creatures are what conjure up nightmares!

1point

Nikki Gross 11 months ago

I just watched the video attached and HOLY F*****G S**T!!! Those things are straight up nightmare fuel and would take at least a full clip of an AR-15 to take one of those things out or slow it down.

1point

Pam Ives 11 months ago

That's horrible, not scary. They are still, objectively, cute critters.

1point

ABK 11 months ago

Good story!👻

1point

Alicia M 11 months ago

Anyone who saw Happy Feet knows to fear the leopard seal.

1point

Ti Al 11 months ago

Awfully well written! And to those still seeing them as kinda cute: yeah, I get it, I still feel the urge to pet a polar bears fluffy ears. But that's maybe their ultimate predatory feature. "Come, little human, come closer, pet the cute animal, .... "

1point

Shoe 11 months ago

But other than all that they seem delightful.

1point

David Paterson 11 months ago

Leopard seals have a bite size and bite strength greater than the largest lions, tigers and bears.

1point

Paddling Panda 11 months ago

Oh my!

0points

HelluvaHedgehogAlien 11 months ago

I smell ✨paranoia✨

1point

rullyman 11 months ago

A researcher in Antartica was stalked and killed by a leopard seal 20 years ago: https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/jul/24/science.highereducation

4points

Al! 11 months ago

I still think he's cute. Would inevitably try and pet....

0points

Leesa DeAndrea 11 months ago

The times I've seen them in nature documentaries, I've always thought they looked very dangerous & menacing. They send a shiver down my spine.

0points

Oddly Me 11 months ago

It doesn't "lok" scary, but daaamn!! That description tho.

0points

Frank Miller 11 months ago

This human knows much too much, and must be dealt with...

0points

Vicki Perizzolo 11 months ago

they are scary stuff

0points

LynzCatastrophe 11 months ago

Do you want me to show you a video of how an alligator kills their prey? You might feel better.

0points

Sydney B. 11 months ago

Degloved penguins oh my God 😰

0points

Jayne Reece 11 months ago

rawr COMP-MA-WN...7041e7.jpg

0points

Suck it Trebek 11 months ago

I've always thought Leopard Seals look like something from the prehistoric era.

0points

Riley Quinn 11 months ago

This post is bordering on hysterics, and a tad hypocritical, which I don't understand. Unless OP is a vegan, her attitude about this specific apex predator, a category humans belong in, is confusing. Predators eat prey in order to survive. They don't have the "good fortune" to pick up their supper in cellophane wrap to avoid the yucky part of survival. BTW, 70% of their diet is krill. And unless you're swimming in the Antarctic waters, y'all should be safe from their crushing jaws.

0points

UncleJohn3000 11 months ago

And they can survive continual immersion in dihydrogen oxide, one of the deadliest chemical compounds in the world!

0points

MrsFettesVette 11 months ago

...and people think sharks are scary

0points

martymcmatrix 11 months ago

leopard-se...attack.gif

0points

Almost sunny 11 months ago

Never going in the water ever again now.

0points

Leslie Donsen 11 months ago

"...out of fear there may be one under my bed. " Seriously, what child doesn't suffer from this.

-1point

Siobhan Gournay 11 months ago

Dear sweet baby Jesus https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT6DXmk3XHxXOJNGEz01MU5ZQfIk6tvlg7Ddg&usqp=CAU

-1point

Pyla 11 months ago

What nonsense. They fit their evolutionary niche well. A diver had one giving him gifts. Like most pinnipeds they are inquisitive and harmless to humans. Christ any idiot can post nonsense online.

-1point

rullyman 11 months ago

They are not harmless to humans. A researcher in Antarctica was killed by one in 2003.

1point

Liz Thomas 11 months ago

lol no one else gonna talk abt how u expected me to read a whole essay?

-1point

iflysubmarines , Dianne Bray / Museum Victoria Report

#5

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver Goblin Shark. Thing looks scary as hell and its jaw [jumps out and attacks]

Final score:

226points

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Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 11 months ago

The shark is sneering at me.

38points

Apprehensive-Word-88 , Fernando Losada Rodríguez Report

#6

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver The Lamprey is downright creepy AF!

Final score:

212points

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The mad duck 11 months ago

i hate everything about these

71points

TheMandarinsToeRing , Marco Vinci Report

#7

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver The tongue-eating louse. A parasite that eats the tongues of fish and then just hangs out in their mouths.

Final score:

211points

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Clueless Panda 11 months ago

This is my worst nightmare. Even the pictures freak me out!

85points

#8

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver I'd s**t myself if I happened upon a spider crab

Jormungandr315 , Danté Fenolio Report

Final score:

187points

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Zephyr343 11 months ago

I wonder if they actually taste good though? I could probably only eat a half dozen or so

69points

#9

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver Nah. The scariest thing to me is falling into a shoal of Humboldt squid. They hunt in packs (and can easily just think ooh human=food) and wrap their powerful arms (with 100-200 hooked suckers) around their prey and then bite down with this bone-crunching beak They grow to about 2.2m and 50kgs. And the worst part is that squid don't really care or seem to notice if the prey is still alive. And adult humans are usually too much to fill a squid stomach. Imagine getting a leg eaten off and then released only to descend lower and either have the process repeat with another squid or to slowly drift downward into the abyss Oh yea I guess you just drown at that point. But imagine you got gear or something. Terrifying. The Humboldt Squid is sometimes called the Red Devil.

Squidman-Bruce Report

Final score:

185points

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Nicole 11 months ago

It didn’t look scary but the description is terrifying.

104points

yosemitetrailblazer , Jill Heinerth Report

#10

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver Caves in icebergs that constantly change while you are inside them

Final score:

183points

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John 11 months ago

Why would you go inside?! No thanks!

236points

#11

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver For me personally, ANY Anglerfish. Black Seadevil Anglerfish

Distasteful_T , MBARI Report

Final score:

178points

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Alexia 11 months ago

I read "angerfish". He looks pretty pissed off though

89points

#12

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver "The frilled shark” discovered in Awashima, Japan. It inspired the second form of Shin Godzilla, which is also pretty unsettling.

MadBlue , Awashima Marine Park Report

Final score:

154points

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Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 11 months ago

It looks like its got legs, and it's just moseying around in the ocean.

33points

#13

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver Siphonophores. Not individual organisms but colonies. by their 'design' no two will look *exactly* alike, & some are quite gorgeous, but others look like an artist render of Yog-Sothoth

HauntingHeartt , serpentproject Report

Final score:

153points

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Omni Unicorn 11 months ago

Look how pretty this one is! Siphonopho...52bca8.jpg

111points

#14

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver Not the biggest or maybe scariest, but I'd argue the - Cookie cutter shark. Is the most ghoulish and depraved - using razor sharpe circular teeth to bore a gaping hole in its victim. Like something from a SAW movie.

crimsondelagator , JSUBiology Report

Final score:

149points

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Trin DM 11 months ago

Their name come from the round shape hole they leave when biting, like a cookie was cut out of the victim

51points

#15

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver The colossal squid takes some beating... we have never seen one alive, presumably they live too deep to be spotted, but dead ones have washed up or been [cauight accidentally]. On hooks laid out for other fish. Up to 14m long and half a ton in weight they are bigger and meaner than the 'Giant' squid, big enough to prey on sperm whales, which we know because whales bearing gnarly scars from their beaks/hooks have been recorded.

Slanderous , Remeslo Report

Final score:

138points

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Phendrena 11 months ago

UNLEASH THE KRAKEN!

64points

#16

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver Vampire squid

tex83tex83 , Natural World Facts Report

Final score:

134points

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Angeldust McQuade 11 months ago

I want to pet

55points

DilligentChihuahua34 , MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) Report

#17

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver Phantom jellyfish I think are harmless, but they look terrifying and occupy a lot of space

Final score:

132points

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Zephyr343 11 months ago

Oh wow, never heard of those before! They look really neat

35points

Tenacious-V , MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) Report

#18

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver This MF has always fascinated/freaked me out. The Barreleye fish

Final score:

131points

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Angeldust McQuade 11 months ago

Looks like he’s holding back tears.

61points

#19

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver Giant sea spider in Antarctic waters Polar gigantism is a hell of a thing

that90sname , Discovery Canada Report

Final score:

128points

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Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 11 months ago

Antarctica? You're sure it's not Australia?

72points

#20

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver Mantis shrimp. We're so freaking lucky these things don't get very big.

Bannon9k , massimosaquatics Report

Final score:

127points

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C L 11 months ago

Are these the ones that can unleash the really powerful punch?

86points

#21

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver Magnapinna squid. This thing is wild. Caught on camera at a drilling site.

bigcarri Report

Final score:

124points

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Upstaged75 11 months ago

Neat!

20points

#22

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver Googly eyed stubby squid. You’re welcome for the nightmares

unipine , EVNautilus Report

Final score:

120points

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glowworm2 11 months ago

That’s just somebody’s squishy toy!

216points

DiligentPenguin16 , Smithsonian Channel Report

#23

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver Bobbit worms. They look like something out of a hell dimension, they range from 4 inches to 10 FEET long, and their jaws are so powerful that they can snap fish in half. And what’s worse about them compared to a lot of the answers in this thread is that *you can end up with a Bobbit worm in your at home saltwater aquarium by accident*. They like to live in holes of large rocks, which are also popular among aquarium enthusiasts to use as decor, or hide inside the substrate at the bottom of an aquarium. As they are ambush predators who are mostly active at night, you probably won’t figure out that there’s one inside your aquarium until you notice fish have started to go missing. These worms are almost impossible to get rid of out of your large aquarium rocks, as they can cling so tightly to the hole they’re in that you can’t pull them out. They’re also really good at hiding in small spaces. If you tear the worm apart trying to get it out (which is pretty easy to do) the leftover part inside the rock hole can regenerate into a new Bobbit worm. ETA: As to why an aquarist doesn’t just boil the rock/bake the rock before putting it in their tank to prevent Bobbit worms- The rocks the worms hitch in on are called “live rocks”. These rocks are from the ocean floor and contain microorganisms, bacteria, algae, coral, and invertebrates that help make the tank water healthy and stable. So anything that would kill the worm beforehand would also kill all the beneficial organisms on the rock, thus defeating the purpose of buying an expensive live rock. By the time they’ve figured out a Bobbit worm got into their tank it might have been weeks or months since the rock got put in (as Bobbit worms hide during the day and hunt at night). At that point the worm could be anywhere in the tank.

Final score:

119points

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Puppy Dancing! 11 months ago

Bobbit ! Lorena Bobbit cut off her husband's penis. These do look like a cut off penis. Or is it because they will cut off your finger?

61points

canigetabagel , National Library of Medicine Report

#24

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver The irukandji jelly fish. It’s tiny (1-2 cm in diameter) but is extremely venomous and can even be lethal. The worst part is that you don’t feel an extremely painful wound at first. It’s about 10-40 minutes AFTER they sting you that you start feeling anything. A tiny jellyfish small enough not to see it and land you in the hospital with the possibility of death? No thank you. Some of the symptoms: back pain, diffuse muscle cramping, nausea, vomiting, profuse diaphoresis, headache, anxiety, agitation, nausea, vomiting, and piloerection

Final score:

117points

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ƒιѕн 11 months ago (edited)

I had to look that last word up. It's goosebumps for anyone else that don't know.

84points

NewScientist4572 , Fernando Losada Rodríguez Report

#25

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver Hands down Sea Lampreys. These creatures haunt me. They are the most horrific thing I've ever seen

Final score:

110points

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Alfonsothenerdyalpaca 11 months ago

Reading this before bed was a BAD idea

59points

#26

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver Shape shifting creature found in the bottom of the ocean.
Marine biologist Bill Austin has suggested it is likely a comb jelly (ctenophore).

spineapples , CaptainJRD Report

Final score:

106points

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Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 11 months ago

Remember, kids, always comb your jelly.

46points

ThisistheHoneyBadger , Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary Report

#27

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver Great Lakes shipwrecks. For some reason, they are creepier when they are more perfectly preserved. So friggin cool but also scares me

Final score:

102points

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Red Hair Blue Soul 11 months ago

Is that the Edmond Fitzgerald?

17points

#28

Someone Asks What's The Scariest Thing In The Ocean That Has Photo Evidence, And 30 People Deliver I submit for your viewing pleasure, or horror, The gulper eel

RaptorCheeses , Indoona Report

Final score:

100points

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Nika the Great 11 months ago

Bros just a fish pelican

33points