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Habitat: Midwater

Bloody-belly comb jelly

The bloody-belly comb jelly’s deep red color disguises it in the ocean’s midnight zone.

Bomber worm

The midnight zone is a world of total darkness where predators lurk in the shadows ready to pounce on prey. The small bomber worm (Swima spp.) swims in the waters a few meters above the seafloor. A wriggling worm is exposed out in the open, but it has a secret weapon to avoid becoming a meal for a hungry predator.

Red siphonophore

The spectacular scarlet color of the red siphonophore is camouflage in the ocean’s midnight zone.

Whiptail gulper eel

Food is scarce in the deep sea, so a gulper eel’s oversized mouth helps it swallow any morsel of food—big or small—that it comes across.

Big red jelly

The big red jelly lurks in the ocean’s mysterious midwaters.

Angler siphonophore

The angler siphonophore fishes for its meals.

Pacific viperfish

The Pacific viperfish’s huge mouth and long, needle-like teeth are the key to their hunting strategy.

Fangtooth

Despite this fish’s fierce name and ferocious looks, fangtooth is a rather small—and possibly lazy—predator.