Village of Joy

“The Deep is not only the most stunningly beautiful book about the sea ever produced, but also a work of scientific substance, articulated by some of the best, most experienced deep-sea scientists of our time. Even for those of us who have been enchanted by the wondrous life of the deep sea through direct engagement, this book renews the spirit and makes it possible to share with others a vicarious glimpse of the wild ocean.”
—Sylvia Earle, National Geographic Society

As said above it’s a stunning collection of more than 200 large-format colorful photos from the deep blue ocean. Bizarre species are shown in remarkable detail. On page after page, it is as if aliens had descended from another world to amaze and delight.

Having in mind that only about 5 percent of the deep-sea floor has been mapped in detail, you just keep wondering what else might be there.

These amazing photographs introduce the strange, beautiful and sometimes terrifying deep-sea creatures that live in the largest, most mysterious ecosystem on the planet.

Dumbo Octopus are benthic creatures, living at extreme depths: 300-400 meters, and are some of the rarest of the Octopoda species. They can flush the transparent layer of their skin at will, and they move by pulsing their arms, shooting water through their funnel, or by waving their ear-like fins. Read more on wikipedia.

The small Benthocodon jelly has been found near sea mountains, some of which dwarf the Himalayas.

The Telescope Octopus is a species of pelagic octopus found in tropical regions of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is transparent, almost colorless and has 8 arms. It is the only octopus to have tubular eyes, hence its common name.

They are found in deep, lightless waters of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. They are distinguished from other anglerfishes by the lack of the expanded escal bulb — the bioluminescent lure at the end of the illicium — and by the very long dorsal and anal fin rays. As in other anglerfishes, males are very much smaller than the females and, after a larval and adolescent free-living stage, spend the rest of their life parasitically attached to a female.

If you’re interested in this book you can get it here: The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss

Sources: [thedeepbook.org] and [wikipedia.org]