Featured Image Credit: Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell/YouTube/kittisun kittayacharoenpong/Getty
The ocean is a truly fascinating place, mostly because there is so much of it we are yet to explore.
One place that has proven particularly challenging to study is the deep sea - which is generally defined as the depth at which light begins to dwindle, typically around 200 meters (656 feet) - an area seldom seen as it's so difficult to access.
A fascination animation posted on YouTube gives an insight into what may be lurking down in the deepest, darkest depths of the ocean.
When travelling down beneath the surface of the water, with every additional metre, light fades drastically.
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As a result 90 percent of the ocean's biomass exists in just the first 200 meters closest to its surface.
"The seafloor at this depth is akin to the Amazon rainforest," the video explains, "and it often covered with coral reefs, algae and other sea plants that are home to a plethora of animals.
Beyond this, you enter what is known as the twilight zone, the water pressure rising as you sink deeper and deeper.
Yet many creatures still choose to spend their time here.
"During the day, it's a good place to rest and recover, hidden from predators in the vast dark waters. Then at night, they can travel more safely into shallower zones to feed in the food-rich surface waters."
But, as we continue to travel deeper and deeper down, reaching depths of up to 11,000 feet, we enter a barely-explored wasteland consisting of nothing but endless black water. This is the Challenger Deep.
The water pressure here is like trying to go for a swim with 1,800 elephants on top of you. But, some lifeforms have managed to thrive regardless.
"Next to sea cucumbers, white and light pink amphipods wiggle their way through the water.
"Their size is astounding," the video says. "While their shallow-water cousins are merely a few centimeters long, the deep-sea version can reach up to 30 centimeters."
But, even as the most solitary place on Earth, it isn't safe from human influence.
In 2018, scientists found plastic bags floating through the water and it's left people heartbroken.
One person commented below the video: "Damn the plastic bag hit harder than expected..."
Another responded by saying: "Imagine the shock and sadness that the scientists felt when they saw that plastic bag."
And a third wrote: "It really killed me when you mentioned that plastic bags where found in the deepest place on Earth..."
