Pictures show creepy deep-sea animals, some never before seen, discovered near islands off the coast of Australia

Marianne GuenotDec 2, 2022, 20:13 IST

Four of the animals found during a deep-sea expedition to the Cocos Islands.Museums Victoria/Ben Healley

Scientists explored the recesses of the ocean floor off the Cocos (Keeling) Islands near Australia.
They found a host of bizarre sea creatures, from the tribute spiderfish to the bony-eared assfish.

Scientists exploring the floor of the deep sea around the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the Indian Ocean found a landscape teeming with deep sea life, some of which had never been seen before.

Here are some of the bizarre animals they found, in pictures.

This eel, which is blind and has gooey skin, had never been seen before

An unknown cusk eel that was spotted on the expedition.Museums Victoria-Ben Healley

This highfin lizard fish is hermaphroditic

A highfin lizard fish that was found in the expedition.Museums Victoria

This fish, which has a massive head and a tiny body, is called the bony-eared assfish

With its big head and tiny body, this animal is called a bony-eared assfish.Robert French/Museums Victoria

A creepy conger was found 0.6 miles below the surface

This conger was found on the expedition.Museums Victoria-Ben Healley

This goofy-looking batfish is a formidable hunter

The batfish is a deep-sea ray.Museums Victoria-Ben Healley

This fish, called a loosejaw, attracts its prey using red and blue glowing lights near its eyes

A stoplight loosejaw was found on the expedition.Museums Victoria-Ben Healley

The viperfish has teeth so large they stick out of its mouth

A viperfish was found on the expedition.Museums Victoria

This fish has long rigid fins that help it prop itself up from the bottom of the sea floor

A tribute spiderfish has long, hardened fins.Museums Victoria-Ben Healley

This fangfish only comes out at night

A fangfish found on the expedition.Robert French/Museums Victoria

These leggy red starfish prove deep sea life can be full of color.

These brilliant red starfish were also found on the sea floor.Nish Nizar/Museums Victoria

The squat lobster is another example of a vividly-colored animal found on the deep seabed

A squat lobster was found on the expedition.Robert French/Museums Victoria

A mission to explore earth's final frontiers

The Cocos islands is about 2,500 miles from the Australian coast.Google Maps

The Cocos (Keeling) Islands rest on huge mountains under the water.

The Cocos (Keeling) Islands rest on massive underwater mountains.CSIRO

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