10 Beautiful Animals That Live Under The Sea

Most people never really get a chance to experience the incredible array of fauna that the Earth has to offer beyond visiting one’s local zoo or watching the Discovery Channel. Plenty go their entire lives without any knowledge of the kind of bizarre and fantastic creatures that grace our oceans and seas. Below is but a small sampling of the kind of beauty that the wondrous world beneath our waves has to offer in the way of vertebrates and invertebrates.


10. Glaucus Atlanticus

Aptly bearing the common name of Blue Dragon, this sea slug is but one example of the array of magically beautiful invertebrates that inhabit our oceans. Most often found in the waters off the coast of South Africa, divers lucky enough to spot these lovely little guys should stay wary of its powerful sting.


9. Sarcastic Fringehead

Their name might make you dismiss them as uninteresting, but this fish’s name has nothing to do with its nature. Found on the American west coast, fringeheads can grow up to a foot in length and tend to be very vicious.


8. Blanket Octopus

This vibrantly colored cephalopod is one of the most gorgeous creatures one can find in a tropical ocean. One of the most interesting facts about the Blanket Octopus is that it is immune to the venom of the Portuguese Man O’ War.


7. Christmas Tree Worm

Contrary to what ideas its name might initially stir up, this is actually a sea dweller and not rather a parasite that feeds on fir trees. The moniker comes from the feathery, multi-colored crowns that come off of its back.


6. Feather Star

These flowing and wispy creatures can be found in the Indian Ocean and the waters up to Japan. Although they spend most of their time living on rocks in shallow water, their fringes can help them to swim.


5. White-Tentacle Japanese Aeolis

This translucent creature is a nudibranch which is a family of soft-bodied mollusks. This particular species/genus can be seen in the subtropical waters of the Pacific Ocean.


4. Mandarin Goby Fish

These brilliantly-colored little fish are most often found in groups and are completely non-aggressive. Obviously never able to be confused with any other kind of fish, this fish, also called the Mandarin Dragonet, calls the waters from the Philippines to Australia its home.


3. Crown Jellyfish

As this invertebrate’s common name is used for a whole family of jellyfish, it’s sometimes easier to call this creature by its scientific name Cephea cephea or the alternate name Cauliflower Jellyfish. Beauty aside, this jelly is also targeted by fisheries as it is eaten as a delicacy in many countries.


2. Alabaster Nudibranch

It’s easy to see that this beautiful creature gets its name from its pure and gorgeous coloring. Although the feather-like appendages that cover its body might appear superficial or perhaps defensive, the tips are actually gills.


1. Snowflake Jellyfish

This beautiful creature belongs to the true jellyfish genus Cassiopea or upside-down jellyfish. Though pictured is a white Snowflake Jelly, they can also be blue, green, and brown.