But there is this whole frontier in the deep that makes up most of our oceans. Lisin recalls how a visiting marine scientist from Kansas was ecstatic at seeing a live deep-sea anemone that she had studied in laboratories for years. She had worked with pickled ones, essentially bald little balls with tentacles that had fallen off in a jar. Check out the hag You don't have to live halfway across the country from the Pacific ocean to appreciate the weirdness of the 40 live species on exhibit, or the many other animals shown on video displays shows because they couldn't survive at sea level. Take the hag fish, an eel with no eyes, four hearts, and the ability to tie itself into knots to wring off a mucuslike slime believed useful to repel predators.
Fishermen hate hag fish because they crawl into nets and eat fish from the inside out.
Another popular specimen, the ratfish, appears to use its big green eyes to make eye-contact with visitors. Some specimens have brilliant colors, such as the pink of mushroom coral. That surprises some visitors expecting duller colors. In the deep sea, though, red becomes dark, acting like a cloak to avoid detection, says Lisin. I think many people expected a barren environment with dark creatures.