9 Great Barrier Reef Deep-Sea Creatures Explained

(July 20) -- Last week, scientists from Australia's Queensland Brain Institute announced they had captured amazing footage of ancient, never-before-seen creatures far below the Great Barrier Reef using new high-tech cameras.

"This is the first time we've been able to go this deep into Australian waters and film the animals in their natural habitat -- behaving more or less naturally, because the cameras use lights that they can't see," said team leader Justin Marshall, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. "My purpose is to try and understand these animals and how they live in the deep sea."

The cameras the team employed are now being taken to the Gulf of Mexico to help in the spill response effort, specifically spotting the plumes of crude oil that have sunk as far down as 14,000 meters, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Earlier this year, the Great Barrier Reef suffered an oil spill of its own, when a Chinese tanker ran aground, leaking at least 2 tons of oil onto the fragile marine ecosystem. AOL News previously reported it could take up to 20 years for the reef to fully heal, even with the concerted efforts of marine biologists and cleanup crews.

While both ecosystems attempt to bounce back from their oil-induced trauma, Surge Desk brings you the basics on the types of creatures the team found at Osprey Reef in northeast Australia about 5,000 feet below sea level:

1. Zooplankton
They are the smallest creatures in the waters. Researchers say zooplankton are "the gooiest, stickiest and most transparently fragile animals of the sea," which usually die when captured. They are thought to combat global warming.

2. Amphipod crustacean
The most common type of "Amphipod crustracean" is the shrimp. There are about 7,000 species of amphipods, of which deep-sea ones have been thought to be extinct. They are usually tiny and therefore difficult to classify.

3. Nautilus
The nautilus is a shell-dwelling squid species that may grow 8 to 10 inches. Its many-chambered shell protects its soft body. It has tentacles for catching shrimp, fish and small crustaceans, which are then crushed with a beak. Since it has poor vision, the nautilus relies mostly on smell to find food and a mate.

4. Atolla
The Atolla is a reddish-brown jellyfish with long, stinging tentacles to catch prey. When it's in danger, it will give off a blue glow lasting for only a few seconds.

5. Periphylla jellyfish
They're shaped like a ballet tutu with 12 thin tentacles. It has a deep red color inside, blocking the bioluminescent light created by ingested prey. It releases a bioluminescent secretion to confuse predators. It can become 8 to 14 inches tall.

6. Anglerfish
Attached to and hanging above its head is a lantern, which attracts prey. Able to eat prey twice its size, females can reach about 4 feet in length. The males only reach 5.5 inches. Young males parasitically and permanently attach themselves to a female, after which they share one circulatory system.

7. Hatchetfish
It has large, tube-like eyes that point straight up to see prey and predators. There are bright silvery patches around its mouth, attracting prey to swim right in for a meal.

8. Viperfish
Its attack on prey takes a fraction of a second, hence its name. The Viperfish's long dorsal spine has a photophore that gives off light, attracting prey. It can only grow up to 30 centimeters long.

9. Sixgill shark
It has six pairs of gill slits, and can become 16 feet long and weigh more than 1,320 pounds. It feeds on a wide range of prey, including mollusks, crustaceans, anchovies and hake.