Hold Your Breath!

You’re about to dive into a fantastic adventure under the sea. Down there, you’ll discover a collection of creatures that truly make a splash. They’re odd and beautiful—and each one points to the Master of design.

Nudibranch

Nudibranch

The colorful, slug-like nudibranch can be a thief. But it doesn’t steal money or treasure. Instead, some of these colorful mollusks (MAL-usks) eat tiny animals with stinging cells—and they put them in their own skin for defense! That’s one way to keep safe.

Anglerfish

Anglerfish

A fish that can fish? Most of the time, we think that people are the ones throwing out lures to reel in whoppers. But anglerfish don’t need metal hooks. Most females have a light built into their heads, and the lure proves too tempting for passing fish.

Lionfish

Lionfish

If the lionfish looks like a swimming porcupine, there’s a good reason. Those black, red, and cream stripes warn about dangerous venom in its pointy fin rays. One touch, and you’ll have a very bad day. But handled correctly, lionfish make for a tasty dinner.

Seahorse

Seahorse

What kind of horse doesn’t neigh but grabs grass with its tail? A seahorse, of course. These tropical fish live mostly in seagrass beds and coral reefs. Some even look like leaves are sprouting from their bodies. Another amazing fact: the male seahorse actually carries eggs in a pouch.

Cuttlefish

Cuttlefish

Many creatures with fish in their names aren’t really fish at all. And that’s true of the cuttlefish. It’s actually related to the squid. But there’s no confusing how well these cephalopods (SEF-uh-la-pods) can blend into the background with their color-changing tricks. Blink and they might just disappear.

Squid

Squid

Just about anywhere you look in the world’s oceans, you’ll find some type of squid. The firefly squid lights up the deep dark ocean with its bluish glow. The flying squid can leap out of the water and skip across the waves. The colossal squid, which is as long as a school bus, lurks in the frigid ocean near Antarctica.