5. Japanese Spider Crab – the countdown would not be complete without the mention of something spidery. And with an entire body span of TWELVE FEET you certainly wouldn’t want this bugger creeping up on you. Though despite his scary appearance, the spider crab is actually (apparently) quite a mellow creature. Wandering along the sea floor eating plants and mollusks, he just doesn’t want to be eaten in a fancy restaurant.

Courtesy of: National Geographic

4. Bryde’s Whale – there are three reasons why this breed of whale is scarier than any other. Reason one – he is bloody huge. The Bryde’s Whale typically grows to fourty-five feet! Okay so in ‘whale terms’ that is pretty average – he ain’t no Moby Dick. But still, imagine turning round in your teeny tiny rowing boat and seeing that behind you. Because reason two is that he looks like an eel. A GIANT EEL.

Photographer: Andy Murch

And as if that’s not bad enough brace yourselves for reason three. Do you ever hate that little round ‘dinner’ stomach you get after a big meal? Well just see what this poor bastard turns into…

Photographer: Eduardo Acevedo

3. Megalodon Shark – now if this one still existed, he’d be number one. In every sense. I did wonder whether to include a now, presumbed extinct shark. But he’s just way too cool not to mention.

The megalodon shark lived millions of years ago and thank goodness for that because from the fossils that have been found, scientists estimate their size to be from fourty-five to fifty nine feet. That’s longer than a large bus. And being similar in looks to our well known Great White that definitely gets a gasp from me.

artist unknown

It may not surprise you to hear that this incredible fish, though extinct for hundreds of years, has spawned many bad horror flicks. Check out this brilliant scene from Shark Attack 3: Megalodon – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nzd0R_OeOc

2. Anglerfish – an oldie but a classic. This fearsome, quite terrifying creature lives all over our world’s oceans, often preferring to stay in the deep sea within the darkest corners. Though there are slight variations in breed, this particular very scary Anglerfish has a lure, almost like a tentancle hanging from above the eyes. This serves as a trap for smaller fish, who believe it to be food and swim straight into the Anglerfish’s awaiting fangs. What a lovely way to go.

Courtesy of: National Geographic

1. Goblin Shark – I know the Great White is the most obvious for number 1 slot – even if that is mainly Peter Benchley / Steven Spielberg influence. But I found this whilst browsing online and thought he looked rather fearsome. Usually between ten and thirteen feet in length, not an awful lot is known about the Goblin Shark. He prefers the dwelling of the deep sea and has been around for millions of years. Even so, in all that time, real life sightings have only been recorded around fifty times.

He gets his name from his elongated nose. But his huge eyes and monstrous fangs don’t hurt him in the scary stakes.

picture source uknown: google images

So, hope you enjoyed that.

Did you know that Jaws has one of the most misquoted movie quotes of all time? “We’re gonna need a bigger boat.” Only Brody didn’t say that.

“You’re gonna need a bigger boat”

and with that lot, you really really will.