35 Scary Sea Creatures We Hope to Never Encounter

Every summer, humans around the world casually step into the ocean for a swim. But it makes no sense. As adorable as baby dolphins are, there’s a lot more out there than friendly sea critters. It’s like walking into the living room of sharks, eels and dozens of other scary sea creatures that would love to eat us. And we do it voluntarily. Why?!

Even worse, we’ve only explored 5 percent of the ocean. That means the scary sea creatures on this list are less than 5 percent of what’s out there. Can you imagine what other ocean animals might be lurking in the deep sea?

Warning: If you do plan on spending your summer riding the waves, maybe sit this one out. Otherwise, you might be too scared to ever go in the water again.

Scientific name: Chlamydoselachus anguineus

What makes this sea creature scary: The frilled shark is often called a “living fossil,” and we get why. Its features are eerily similar to that of some kind of primitive eel. Its jaws come with not one, not two, but 25 rows of curved, razor-sharp teeth. 

Before you get too worried, the odds of running into a frilled shark on a snorkeling trip in Mexico are next to zero. These scary sea creatures rarely travel closer to the surface than 390 feet deep, often residing at more than three times that depth.

Scientific name: Grammatostomias flagellibarba

What makes this sea creature scary: In the darkest, deepest corners of the ocean, not much can survive. The pressure is crushing, and the lack of light and oxygen makes survival extremely difficult. The deep-sea dragonfish makes do with unique adaptations, including photophores that produce light to attract prey. 

They’re some of the scariest-looking sea creatures around, with fanged jaws and a flexible spine that enables them to eat larger prey than one might expect.

Scientific name: Chauliodus macouni

What makes this sea creature scary: Anything with long, needle-like fangs is creepy in our book. The viperfish often sits still, deep, deep below the surface. Like the dragonfish, its photophores lure in unsuspecting prey. When its lunch gets close enough, it strikes. 

If that’s not creepy enough, its fangs don’t fit all the way inside its mouth. Instead, they have a bulldog-like bite, just way less cute.