94% of People Can't Name All of These Animals That Live on the Ocean Floor. Can You?

By: Chelsea
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
94% of People Can't Name All of These Animals That Live on the Ocean Floor. Can You?
Image: YouTube

About This Quiz

Unlike many of the land-based creatures, it feels like we’ve barely scratched the surface when it comes to how many breeds of fish or other marine animals dwell in the murky depths of our oceans, rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water. 

In 2017, there were seven new breeds of fish discovered, one of which was the Mariana Trench dwelling Pseudoliparis Swirei (or Snailfish of the Deep for us land lovers).  Looking like a rather large tadpole, these little guys have milky white skin that is so translucent that you can see some of their internal organs without much effort.  On top of which, this creature has earned the title of deepest living fish, with almost 8,000 meters beneath the surface being the number to beat to steal the title.  Scientists are skeptical if it will ever be surpassed, because the water pressure may be too great to thrive.  But who knows?  Maybe there will be another fish or critter that swims its way into the fray! 

Do you think you know your way around the floor of an ocean, river, or lake?  Take our quiz to see if you're able to hold your own or if you should take a swim!

Japanese Spider Crab (Japan)
YouTube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Japanese spider crab.
Where does this crab live? You guessed it, in the waters of Japan. But did you know that it is especially found in the bays of Tosa, Sagami, and Suruga?
Blue-ringed octopus.
Giant tube worm.
Atlantic wolffish.

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Frilled Shark
Wiki Commons
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Six-gilled shark.
Pacific viperfish.
Frilled shark.
This frightening, prehistoric looking creature lives in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Did you know this shark is naturally buoyant?
Vampire squid.

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Fangtooth
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Blue-ringed octopus.
Six-gilled shark.
Vampire squid.
Fangtooth.
This fish looks like something out of a horror movie, but it is real! This fish's front teeth are very long, and its mouth has a little pocket to fit in, so the fish doesn't poke itself when it closes its mouth.

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Atlantic-wolffish
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Giant tube worm.
Pacific viperfish.
Atlantic wolffish.
Seawolf is another name for the Atlantic wolffish. They live alone, except for when mating.
Vampire squid.

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Giant-tube-worm
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Goblin shark.
Pompeii worm.
Harp sponge.
Giant tube worm.
Can you imagine living 5,000 feet underwater and being over eight feet tall? That's the life of the giant tube worm!

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Six-gilled-shark
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Six-gilled shark.
The scientific name for this shark is Hexanchus griseus. Besides being able to be identified by its six gill marks on each side of its head, one can also distinguish this shark from others because it has yellow bottom teeth!
Erenna.
Flabby whalefish.
Pompeii worm.

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Pacific-viperfish
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Predatory tunicate.
Giant spider crab.
Pacific viperfish.
This fish sure does look old and crotchety! They live for 15-30 years, and eat small fish and crustaceans.
Pelican eel.

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Vampire-Squid
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Vampire squid.
Can you see why this ocean-floor dweller's scientific name means 'the vampire squid from hell'? Vampyroteuthis infernalis describes what one might think if they run into one of these!
Predatory tunicate.
Blue-ringed octopus.
Swima Bombardier worm.

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goblin shark
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Erenna.
Goblin shark.
Those are some pointy, haggard looking teeth! The goblin shark can also be identified by the extra long nose it has protruding from its head.
Dragonfish.
Big red jellyfish.

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Pompeii-worm
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Giant squid.
Pelican eel.
Pompeii worm.
Can you handle the heat like the Pompeii worm can? Scientists have deemed this creature as the most heat tolerant on Earth! Part of their body is known to stay in waters of over 170 degrees Fahrenheit!
Coffinfish.

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Swima-bombiviridis
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Stargazer.
Blobfish.
Coffinfish.
Swima bombardier worm.
This worm is also known by the name 'bomber worm,' due to the bombs it drops when it feels threatened. It's a free-swimmer and a member of the worm family.

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Harp-sponge
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Stargazer.
Chimaera.
Harp sponge.
Did you believe this was a living creature from the picture? This sponge truly does look like the beautiful musical instrument. Unlike the angelic qualities of the instrument, the harp sponge is a carnivorous predator.
Amphipod.

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Ghost-shark
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Ghost shark.
If you want to know more about the ghost shark, watch the movie named after this creature! It was released in 2013 and directed by Griff Furst.
Anglerfish.
Dumbo octopus.
Pacific blackdragon.

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Erenna
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Erenna.
These mysterious creatures live over 5,000 feet below sea level! Did you know the fish they eat is what causes their dark color?
Amphipod.
Anglerfish.
Grenadier.

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Flabby-whalefish
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Barreleye.
Snaggletooth.
Flabby whalefish.
Although this ocean-floor dweller has 'whale' in its name, it's not nearly as big as a whale. They'll only get to be over a foot long at the largest. They are pretty deep swimmers though, these guys have been in over 2,000 meters beneath sea level in New Zealand.
Hatchetfish.

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Predatory-Tunicate
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Gulper eel.
Grenadier.
Sponge.
Predatory tunicate.
This animal lives in the depths of the ocean, along deep-sea canyon walls. It doesn't move, so how does it eat? It patiently waits for food to pass by and snatches them with its mouth.

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Pelican-eel
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Black swallower.
Sponge.
Pelican eel.
The umbrella-mouth gulper is another name for this eel. It has this name because it swims into a crowd or crustaceans or other prey with its mouth wide open, and gulps them up like a vacuum!
Coral.

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Yellow sea anemone
n/a
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Coral.
Sea anemone.
They may not look harmful, or even like a living creature, but sea anemones are actually predators! Did you know there are over a thousand different types of these creatures?
Sea cucumber.
Viperfish.

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Giant-ostracod
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Sea butterflies.
Glass frog.
Giant ostracod.
Seed shrimp is another name for this creature. They have the ability to hide in their pod, like a turtle!
Abalone.

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Dragon-fish
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Glass frog.
Sponge.
Sea cucumber.
Dragonfish.
Don't get too close, or close at all, to the dragonfish. It is known to be a wild and dangerous predator. It uses bioluminescence to see in the dark waters it preys in.

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Big-red-jellyfish
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Big red jellyfish.
The Tiburonia granrojo, or big red jellyfish, is a recent addition to the list of ocean-floor creatures. It was just discovered in 2003!
Xenophyophores.
Dumbo octopus.
Blue-ringed octopus.

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Giant King Squid
n/a
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Giant squid.
How giant is the giant squid? Get ready to have your mind blown: the largest one found by humans was nearly 60 feet long and weighed one ton. Good thing these monstrous creatures live much deeper than humans can swim!
Gulper eel.
Snaggletooth.
Hatchetfish.

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Blobfish
n/a
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Sea cucumber.
Hatchetfish.
Blobfish.
This creature is famous and loved for its shape that really has no shape. This ocean floor homemaker doesn't usually get over one foot tall. There is no better way to describe it than 'blob'!
Amphipod.

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Coffinfish
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Grenadier.
Hatchetfish.
Megamouth shark.
Coffinfish.
This pinkish fish lives in the waters of eastern Australia. It is said to look similar to a strawberry, with its pink color and round body.

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Giant-isopod
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Giant isopod.
The giant isopod is in the pill bug family, and one of these water-lovers was found at up to 2.5 feet long! They live in any ocean floor that has mud or clay.
Viperfish.
Barreleye.
Blue-ringed octopus.

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Stargazer
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Viperfish.
Foraminifera.
Stargazer.
Have you ever wished you had eyes on top of your head, so you could stargaze without a sore neck? Lucky for the stargazer fish; its eyes are placed on top of its head!
Black swallower.

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Chimaera
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Glass frog.
Cockle.
Chimaera.
Male chimaeras have something most other fish do not; organs on its pelvic fins and forehead that are used for mating. Because of its skinny tail, it is also called a ratfish.
Black swallower.

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Pacific-blackdragon
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Pacific blackdragon.
The female Pacific blackdragon takes the cake for old-lady chin hairs! It has a single, long whisker that strings down off its chin.
Blobfish.
Frilled shark.
Abalone.

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Amphipod
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Predatory tunicate.
Giant spider crab.
Amphipod.
How can these creatures survive at over 30,000 feet below? They're not picky eaters, but scavengers! They're also luminescent, giving them light to see in the extreme dark depths of the ocean.
Big red jellyfish.

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Angler Fish
shutterstock
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Anglerfish.
What is that thing sticking out of the anglerfish's head? It's a growth, and used to lure this deep-sea dweller's prey.
Stargazer.
Pacific blackdragon.
Pelican eel.

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Dumbo-octopus
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Dumbo octopus.
Isn't this little, bubbly guy cute? Usually, they only get to be about eight inches large. However, one was found that was six feet!
Giant spider crab.
Blobfish.
Pelican eel.

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Gulper-eel
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Blobfish.
Chimaera.
Gulper eel.
How does this slippery, streamlined creature get around? It moves by whipping around its tail, like the rudder of a boat! It's also known as the pelican eel.
Black seadevil anglerfish.

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Snaggletooth
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Megamouth shark.
Hatchetfish.
Snaggletooth.
This fish may be small, but it sure does have big teeth! Don't use this word to describe anyone, as it's a slang way of saying someone has bad teeth!
Coffinfish.

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Common hatchetfish
n/a
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Gulper eel.
Blue-ringed octopus.
Hatchetfish.
This little fishy is popular for fish tank enthusiasts to have as a pet. It's named for the shape of its body, which looks like a hatchet.
Barreleye.

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Barreleye
YouTube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Snaggletooth.
Grenadier.
Megamouth shark.
Barreleye.
Spookfish is another name for the barreleye, and perhaps is more fitting! It lives in tropical or temperate waters; meaning it prefers water that is 50 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

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Ghostly Grenadier
Wiki Commons Public Domain
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Big red jellyfish.
Grenadier.
These marine fish live in the deep waters of the Arctic and Antarctic. They were also given the name 'rattail', due to its rat like appearance and long, bare tail!
Blobfish.
Giant isopod.

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Blue Ringed Octopus
n/a
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Blue-ringed octopus.
Named for the blue rings all over its body, the blue-ringed octopus can be found on the bottom of the ocean floor, in shallow waters. Watch out! This octopus is very deadly and has killed and injured people.
Giant isopod.
Chimaera.
Coffinfish.

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Megamouth Shark
Discovery Channel via Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Blobfish.
Megamouth shark.
This shark is most mysterious, and rarely seen by humans. Only recently, in 2017, humans were able to take footage of a megamouth shark swimming in deep ocean waters off of Indonesia.
Stargazer.
Chimaera.

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Viperfish
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Sea butterflies.
Sponge.
Viperfish.
The viperfish is also known as Sloan's fangfish, and can be up to one foot long. It uses its sharp, pointy, vampire-like teeth to slash and chomp other animals. It is known as a deadly killer in the ocean world!
Big red jellyfish.

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Black-Swallower-Chiasmodon-niger
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Sponge.
Coral.
Black swallower.
Chiasmodon niger is this creature's scientific name. It lives in both tropical and subtropical waters and can be found at 9,000 feet underwater! Did you know it can swallow fish bigger than itself?
Blue-ringed octopus.

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Sea cucumbers
n/a
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Xenophyophores.
Cockle.
Glass frog.
Sea cucumbers.
Don't confuse this with a food to dip in hummus! The sea cucumber is an echinoderm. What is an echinoderm? It's classified by having radial symmetry, and its body has five equal segments.

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Foraminifera
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Foraminifera.
This is a single celled organism, that is super tiny. They only get to be 20 centimeters at the very largest.
Sponge.
Sea butterflies.
Abalone.

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Xenophyophores
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Megamouth shark.
Coral.
Black seadevil anglerfish.
Xenophyophores.
Though this creature's name is complicated to pronounce, it is a simple creature on physical terms. It is unicellular, and its name means 'bearer of foreign bodies.'

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Yellow Tube Sponge
n/a
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Sea butterflies.
Sponge.
At first glance sponges may not seem like an animal, but they are! They produce sperm, and are multicellular. They are immobile and live only in the depths of the water.
Megamouth shark.
Viperfish.

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Coral
n/a
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Glass frog.
Abalone.
Coral.
A single coral polyp may be tiny, but together these creatures make up the famous tropical reefs! They are related to sea anemones and jellyfish.
Cockle.

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Cockle
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Grenadier.
Megamouth shark.
Cockle.
This is a type of mollusk, and although many can be found in shallow, sandy areas of a beach. However, this heart-shaped shelled creature can also be found on the bottom of the ocean floor, up to 1,500 feet below sea level!
Abalone.

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Sea-butterflies
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Viperfish.
Foraminifera.
Sea butterflies.
This is actually a type of sea snail, with the ability to swim! It turns on its bioluminescence at night so it can see and hunt!
Snaggletooth.

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Comb-jellyfish
Youtube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Comb jellyfish.
This specific type of jellyfish is see-through, or 'transparent' in more scientific terms, and has color bands. Where do the color bands come from? They are tiny hairs, and are called combs.
Sponge.
Blue-ringed octopus.
Coral.

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Black sea devil anglerfish
YouTube
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Viperfish
Black swallower
Sponge
Black seadevil anglerfish.
Can you believe that the first footage of this fish was taken in 2014? This ocean floor dweller is very mysterious, and can eat the black dragonfish!

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Abalone
n/a
What is the name of this ocean-dweller?
Sea butterflies.
Glass frog.
Coral.
Abalone.
What exactly is an abalone? These creatures are sea snails, and are eaten by few people. Be sure to have a lot of money in your pocket if you want to have an abalone steak; they cost $125 per pound!

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