Photograph by Awashima Marine Park, Getty Images Humans rarely
encounter frilled sharks, which prefer to remain in the oceans'
depths, up to 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) below the surface.
Considered living fossils, frilled sharks bear many physical
characteristics of ancestors who swam the seas in the time of
the dinosaurs. This 5.3-foot (1.6-meter) specimen was found in
shallow water in Japan in 2007 and transferred to a marine park.
It died hours after being caught. Giant Spider Crab Photograph
by David Doubilet, National Geographic Thought to be the largest
arthropods on Earth, giant spider crabs spend their time
foraging on the ocean floor up to a thousand feet (300 meters)
deep. These rare, leggy behemoths, native to the waters off
Japan, can measure up to 12 feet (3.7 meters) from claw tip to
claw tip. This five-foot (1.5-meter) specimen was photographed
in Japan's Sagami Bay. Atlantic Wolffish Pair Photograph by
Jonathan Bird, SeaPics The sinister-looking Atlantic wolffish
makes its home in the rocky coa