15 Creatures Discovered By Fisherman In New Zealand

New Zealand is one of those beautiful places that just seem too idyllic to exist. Lush rolling hills give way to gorgeous mountain vistas with dense and plentiful forest or plains everywhere in between. It’s no wonder New Zealand serves as a movie set for so many modern films.

And yet right next to what is quite possibly the most alluring country in the world lies a deep, dark secret. Just off the coast lie terrors beyond imagination.

New Zealand’s lands may be home to all manner of cute and cuddly creatures, but beneath the seas there are untold horrors lurking. Sometimes they wash up on shore to the shock and amazement of local residents. Sometimes fisherman bring them up from the deep in their nets, only to be completely disgusted and fearful of what they find.

More so than anywhere in the world, New Zealand’s waters are home to some of the strangest and creepiest creatures on Earth. Fishermen are constantly dredging up bizarre sea life that looks like something out of Guillermo del Toro’s nightmares. And what they don’t find in their nets they find washed up on the beach dead, and yet somehow even more terrifying than if they were still alive and kicking.

Here are 15 creepy creatures discovered by New Zealand’s fishermen.

15.
IT’S LIKE A FLOATING BRAIN
It may look like a floating brain, but the Sea Salp actually doesn’t have a mind to speak of – just a primitive nervous system to help it get from point A to point B while munching on tiny creatures it meets along the way. The translucent body conceals a jet propulsion system similar to how octopi get around, sucking in water from one end and shooting it out at another.

The lifecycle of the salp is probably the most bizarre of all. They begin life as a giant chain of creatures all attached to one another. They’re all hermaphrodites, so they then interbreed to produce even more salps before detaching to begin life as a solitary salp where they asexually reproduce one more time before expiring.