8 Cutest Marine Animals

Piglet Squid

The banded piglet squid is only around 3.9 inches (100 mm) long once matured, and although I think the adults look more like confused cows with dreadlocks, it’s the tiny babies that win on the cute front. But you'll be hard pressed as a scuba diver to find one, as they live between 328 to 656 feet (100 to 200m) deep.

Glaucus atlanticus

These small nudibranchs are also known as sea swallows, blue angels, blue dragons and the far less glamorous blue sea slug. Growing to around 1.2 inches (3 cm), this little creature is know to eat the venomous Portuguese man o' war. And that’s not all — it may look cute, but it also stores the man o' war’s stinging cells in its own tissues as a defense, causing a potentially dangerous sting if touched.

Axolotl

Also known as the walking fish, this creature is in fact a salamander. Found in two lakes below Mexico City and growing to around 6 to 8 inches (5 to 45 cm), sadly these creatures are almost extinct in the wild, suffering from human encroachment on habitat and competition from invasive fish species.

Dumbo octopus

Deriving their common name from the ear-like fins on the sides of their bodies, these members of the octopus family live at depths way beyond those attainable by divers, at ranges of 9,800 to 13,100 feet (3,000 to 4,000 m), which makes them the deepest diving of all octopuses. On average they grow to 7.9 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm), though the largest ever recorded was a whopping 5.9 feet (1.8 m) long and weighed 13 pounds (5.9 kilos).

Sea otters

Sea otters are the heaviest of all otters and are members of the weasel family. They have the densest fur in the animal kingdom, which they use as their main form of insulation against the cold water, unlike other all other marine mammals, which use fat. They are also remarkable as one of the few mammals that use tools when foraging for food, using rocks to break open the shells of their prey. Otters not only adorably wrap themselves in strands of kelp to avoid drifting while they sleep; they also hold hands with each other, sometimes forming what’s known as a raft if many join together.

Chinstrap penguin

Cute maybe, but these fellows are also the most aggressive of all the penguins. They grow to a little over 2 feet tall (68 cm) and can swim up to 50 miles (80 km) offshore in search of food. They live on barren islands of the Antarctic and can also be found congregating on icebergs.

Beluga whales

Also known as sea canaries for their high-pitched twitter, belugas are perfectly suited for their the Arctic home, having the highest body-blubber percentage and also no dorsal fin. They are highly social and often appear to be playing; they also hunt together in a coordinated manner. Though they are slow swimmers, they have been known to dive to depths of 2,300 feet (700 m), but depths of 66 feet (20 m) are the norm. Threatened by hunting, predation and environmental degradation, these creatures are currently on the endangered lists.

Pufferfish

Those big eyes and slow movement earn these little guys a spot on the list. Their eyes can move independently, much like a chameleon’s. There are many different species and I'm sure most divers have seen them. Though they may look cute, they’re considered the second-most venomous vertebrates in the world; not all are toxic, though, and generally the internal organs contain the toxins. As we all know, the pufferfish can puff itself up using water or air to make itself appear larger to predators. Divers should never try to make one of these creatures puff up though, again, as we all know — look, don't touch.