MONSTERS OF THE DEEP

Dive deep below the ocean's surface to discover razor-mouth viperfish, animaleating sponges and other fearsome and fascinating creatures that lurk in the midnight depths

- SCOTT DUTFIELD

The unknown abyssal depths of the ocean and the creatures that dwell there have intrigued humanity for millennia. Once thought to be devoid of life, the last 200 years of ocean exploration have revealed the weird and wacky creatures that call the deep sea home. There's no official waypoint to separate the 'deep sea' from the rest of the ocean, though it's generally considered to begin at around 200 metres deep, where the water is starved of the Sun's light and warmth. The farther you descend through the water, the darker, colder and high in pressure the environment becomes. The ocean's depths are divided into different zones: the sunlight zone (0 to 200 metres), twilight zone (200 metres to 1,000 metres), midnight zone (1,000 metres to 4,000 metres), abyssal zone (4,000 metres to 6,000 metres) and the hadal zone (6,000 metres to the deepest known point in the ocean, 10,984 metres).