The fangtooth fish, dog-faced witch eel and the deep sea lobster larva may not have the most appealing names, but as these pictures show, they are real beauties in the flesh.
Rarely seen by humans, these creatures are normally found thousands of feet below sea level where they live in complete darkness.
The photographs were taken as Californian biologists prepared to examine them at an aquarium in the state.
Fangtastic: This fangtooth fish normally lives thousands of feet below sea level in complete darkness
Photographer David Wrobel , the world now has a unique glimpse of them up close - and in crystal clear quality.
The shots of the fangtooth fish, giant isopod and predatory Pacific viperfish show the fascinating variety of life in the darkest arts of the ocean.
Mr Wrobel, a former husbandry biologist at Monterey Bay Aquarium, snapped the intriguing creatures while they were held less than a foot away from him in small aquariums.
Snapped: A deep sea lobster larva is captured in its aquarium far away from its natural habitat
What's in a name: With a name like dog-face witch eel, the beauty of this glowing creature is surprising
Tricky catch: The Pacific viperfish, which is found off the coast of California, required a special trawl in order for the biologists to capture it
A data analyst at Harvard Medical School, he added: ‘I love these photos because they represent creatures that are rarely seen and photographed.
‘They're not familiar to most people.
‘The deep sea is populated with an amazing array of bizarre fish and invertebrates.
‘It's important for people to know that it's not a barren wasteland, but instead includes a wide variety of habitats that need to be protected.’
Glowing: The tentacles of this benthic hydromedusa jellyfish appears almost luminous
The giant isopod is a deep-water Atlantic species, while the others are bottom-dwelling and mid-water creatures from the coast of California.
Mr Wrobel said the animals were collected using a trawl or remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV).
The benthic predatory tunicate and benthic jellyfish would have been picked up by an ROV with a robotic arm.
Hungry: The Predatory tunicate is normally found in deep sea canyons where it spends its life, mouth wide open, waiting for small animals and plankton to swim into it
A suction device or chamber on the machine would have been used to hold the witch-eel, whereas the viperfish would have needed a special trawl.
Mr Wrobel said: ‘The ROV collection was less traumatic for the creatures.
‘But it was more expensive and far less productive in the number of animals collected.’
F-angry fish: The fangtooth fish does not look particularly pleased with the photographer
Scary face: A giant isopod looks menacingly at the camera from behind the glass in its aquarium
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