The depth of the sea in the offshore waters is generally within 200 meters, but after leaving the shelf area, the oceans quickly become very deep, and the average depth of the Earth's oceans is 3682 meters, and the deepest depth can reach tens of thousands of meters. Although not all seas reach tens of thousands of meters in depth, seas with a depth of more than 1,000 meters account for 90% of the total ocean area.
We can reach the summit of Mount Everest, which is more than 8,000 meters high, and we can also reach polar regions such as the North and South Poles, but few people can go deep into the oceans. Not to mention diving into the depths of the seabed at a depth of 10,000 meters, diving hundreds of meters is very difficult, so it is very difficult to detect the ocean. This is because the temperature in the depths of the ocean is very low, and the sunlight cannot reach the depths of the ocean, so the seabed is almost a world without light. Another feature of the deep sea is that the pressure is very large, and as the depth increases, the pressure will also increase, and for every 10 meters of increase, the pressure will double. At a depth of 10,000 meters, the pressure on the seabed is equivalent to 1,000 atmospheres, which is equivalent to putting 1 ton of objects on our nails.
In such an environment, it is difficult for us humans to dive into the depths of the ocean for a long time. Although it is a "forbidden area" for our human beings, in the deep sea there are various marine creatures that have a very unique structure. For example, they need to have a unique structure to counter the pressure in the depths of the ocean and avoid being crushed by the pressure. In order to survive in the cold deep sea, some fish even produce some glycoproteins in their blood that function as "antifreeze".
Although these marine organisms can adapt to the environment in the deep sea, the harsh environment in the deep sea will affect their survival and reproduction. For example, one of the problems faced by marine life in the deep sea is food shortages. In the seabed can not normal photosynthesis, so their food source is mainly still in the sea surface photosynthesis produced by organic matter, these organic matter after sedimentation to reach the deep sea, in the process of settlement a lot of organic matter will gradually be consumed, decomposed, so the survival of marine life in the deep sea is actually facing great challenges. So the scale of marine life in the deep sea may not be that large.
It is precisely because survival is more difficult, so their reproduction also faces various problems, some deep-sea creatures will evolve their own hermaphrodites, their own "one fish" can reproduce offspring. Hermaphrodites are not uncommon, so we wouldn't be particularly surprised that hermaphrodites exist in the deep ocean. In addition to hermaphrodites, there are some fish in the deep sea that will evolve excellent breeding strategies and directly "eat soft rice". What's going on here?
goosefish
The fish that "eats soft rice" is the trout, a very strange-looking deep-sea fish with a very large and flat head, a wide mouth, a row of teeth with a pointed inwards at the edge of the mouth, and two eyes on the back of the head. Above their heads is a fleshy protrusion shaped like a small lantern, which contains glandular cells capable of secreting photosensitive elements that glow by reacting with oxygen under the catalytic action of photonase.
As we mentioned earlier, some fish in the deep sea will face food shortages, so whenever they encounter food, they will eat and drink. The food of the trout is generally "delivered to the door", because the small lantern-shaped protrusion on its head will glow, and many fish in the deep sea are phototropic, so it will attract some fish, and some small fish will fall into the mouth of the catfish. Of course, there is also a certain drawback to this, that is, the glow will not only attract prey, but also may attract their natural enemies.
Although some predators may also be attracted, these trout have evolved a strategy to deal with predators, that is, they will quickly stuff the glowing "little lantern" into their mouths, so that the ocean will become dark for a moment, at which point the trout will take the opportunity to escape, and their predators are invisible in the dark deep sea.
Excellent breeding strategy
Their hunting and self-help strategies are really too great, the prey basically can't run when they come, and the predators "turn off the lights" and slip away. In addition to this strategy, the trout has evolved an excellent breeding strategy. The difference between female and male individuals is very large, the female can grow to about 1.2 meters, while the male can only grow to 8-16 cm. Probably because the prey of the trout will be delivered to the door by themselves because of the glowing "little lantern" above their heads, so these trout usually do not like to move, very lazy, so the "petite" male trout is difficult to find a girlfriend in the vast deep sea.
In order to be able to find a girlfriend, these male trout are also very hard, and the male trout that has just hatched for a long time will start to find a partner. After they find the female trout, they may attach directly to the gill cover of the female squid, or attach to the female squid abdomen or body side, in short, they will bite and hold on to the female squid when they find a girlfriend, and attach it to the female trout body like a parasite, and gradually, the male trout will be connected with the skin of the female trout, and finally it will be completely healed, and these male trout will directly become the "organs" of the mate.
At this time, the male trout, except for the sperm nest tissue, will stop developing until it is completely degraded. Male trouts survive the rest of their lives by sucking the blood of female trouts, and their binding process is also carried out through venous blood circulation. Is the process of producing love crystallization completely different from other creatures? This is the unique spousal relationship of the trout, eating soft rice to the extreme. Of course, if these male trouts can't find a girlfriend for months, they'll starve to death.