Does it freak anyone else out that we know so little about the ocean? Although it covers about 70 percent of our planet we have only explored 5 percent of it. Think about it! That means that 95 percent of that deep, blue ocean is unknown to us. Just imagine all of the wild things that could be living in there. Recently scientists found out about one of those wild things when they dropped a camera into the bottom of a deep and dark trench. They discovered a real life sea monster deep in that ocean trench, that was scary enough to make me never want to step into the ocean again.
Deep Ocean Trench Reveals Real Life Sea Monster
Part of the reason that we have explored so little of the ocean is because of its incredible depths. The farthest a human has ever dove into the ocean was 1,090 feet. While submarines can take us a bit farther, depending on the type, they are typically not reaching depths more than 5,000 feet. That is not very deep considering that the average ocean depth is around 12,080 feet. With the deepest part being 35,876 feet deep, according to the National Ocean Service. Luckily, technology can go where humans cannot. LadBible shares that recently, scientists were "conducting an expedition into the Tonga Trench in the Pacific Ocean." This particular trench has an average depth of 20,000 feet. Scientists decided to drop a camera down there to see what sort of creatures live at such depths.
The team sent the camera down with a bit of bait, hoping to attract whatever wildlife called that deep ocean trench home. What they found was a massive Pacific Sleeper Shark. The shark came right up to the camera and took a bite out of it. While curiosity may have killed the cat, it is how sharks learn about their environment. As the shark is chowing down we get a good look at its teeth. Eventually it loses interest and this real life sea monster turns its attention to the bait. Dr. Jessica Kolbusz explains over the video that this footage was taken around 4,593 feet below the ocean's surface.
Not only does the depth at which it lives make it like a real life sea monster, but also its size. Dr. Kolbusz further explained that this Pacific Sleeper Shark was just over 14 feet long. However, these sharks can get up to 23 feet in length. The average car is about 14 or 15 feet long, so just imagine a car-length shark swimming towards you and you will get the picture.
While the average person, like myself, may be slightly spooked by this creature, the scientists are over the moon. Getting to see a rare creature like this up-close and personal is a treat. Furthermore, the more encounters they have with species like the Pacific Sleeper Shark the more information they can learn about hidden parts of the ocean and the real life sea monsters that live within them.
