THRILLING TRENCH

Thrilling Trench, acrylic on canvas, 2020. 30" X 61"

The ocean trenches are some of the most extreme environments in the world, and the intense darkness and pressure in the area shaped its life into some of the most unusual creatures to have ever lived on the planet. They range from fish with fearsome features that glow in the dark to invertebrates which are easily adapted to these extreme conditions by having a range of weird features.

The Process

The black swallower (Chiasmodon niger) is a fish that is known for its ability to swallow prey over twice its length and ten times its mass.

The silver chimaera (Chimaera phantasma) is a deep-dwelling fish related to sharks. It is also nicknamed the "ghost shark".

The crusty nautilus (Allonautilus scrobiculatus) is a cousin of the chambered nautilus known for its thick, rough-looking shell.

Sloane's viper fish (Chauliodus sloani) is a species of viper fish that can be easily identified by its fanged, snake-like appearance and having photophores (light-producing organs) lining its body.

The vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) is a type of squid that can be found in extreme deep sea conditions. The tentacles of the vampire squid had a cloak-like webbing which inspires the name of the animal. 

The deep-sea angler fish has one of the most unique and unusual modes of reproduction. The most-observed specimens belong to the female of the species, which are several times larger than males. After searching for a suitable female when it is ready to mate, the smaller male usually bites the female's side. In the process, its body fuses onto the female and is eventually absorbed into the female where fertilization occurs.

The slender snipe eel (Nemichthys scolopaceus) has a bird-like beak with curved tips. It has more vertebrae in its backbone than any other animal, with around 750.

Deep-sea anemones

 

Silver hatchet fish (Argyropelecus sp.) possess large pupils in their eyes to enable them to see objects in the darkness of the depths where light barely penetrates.

A deep-sea shrimp Acanthephyra purpurea is nicknamed the "fire-breathing shrimp" for its defense mechanism where it squirts a jet of bioluminescent fluid that glows blue from its mouth to deter predators.

Tube worms live in tubes attached to hard surfaces on the ocean floor at depths from 100 to 10,000 m.

The sea butterfly (Clione limacina) is a pelagic sea slug that moves by flapping its wing-like structures like a butterfly.

The barreleye fish (Opisthoproctus soleatus) is known for its transparent upper head which contains a pair of eyes that face upwards. The barreleye lacks light-producing organs on its body, but instead has a luminous organ inside its posterior. Below the barreleye fish in the painting is a predatory tunicate (Megalodicopia hians), a translucent relative of the sea squirt which feeds on small creatures.

The stoplight loose-jaw (Malacosteus niger) is a member of the dragonfish family. It has huge fangs and an enormous gape which suggests it to be a fearsome predator, but its diet in fact comprises of tiny animals and plankton. Like some species of dragonfish, it glows in the dark.

The giant isopod (Bathynomus giganteus) is related to land-living woodlice. It plays an important role as a scavenger in the deep-sea floor environment.

The common fangtooth (Anoplogaster cornuta) is a predatory fish that eats other fish, crustaceans and cephalopods. This fish evolved features that render it practically invisible in order to hunt prey and escape from predators.

The tripod fish (Bathypterois grallator) can be identified for the shape of its fins which comprise of long, bony rays that stick out below its tail fin and both pelvic fins, forming a tripod stand. This "tripod stand" is said to enable the fish to find food even without seeing it, as the fish relies on the sense of touch to hunt. Swimming above it in the painting is the West Indian Ocean Coelacanth.