Into the Abyss: Creatures of the Midwater (Full Movie)

The Deep Sea Midwater | Worlds of the Deep, a collaboration with Schmidt Ocean Institute. Thank you to Brilliant for sponsoring Natural World Facts 🧠💡 - for a 30-day free trial and 20% off an annual premium subscription visit brilliant.org/NaturalWorldFacts/

In the deep ocean, life is divided between very different worlds inhabited by weird and wonderful deep sea creatures. In the midwater, pelagic wanderers tread migratory routes that span entire oceans, and planktonic drifters and their predators take part in bioluminescent light shows. It is separated into zones based on depth, including the sunlight zone (epipelagic), twilight zone (mesopelagic), midnight zone (bathypelagic), abyssal and hadal zones. And below, lies the deep sea floor. A kingdom of mud and ooze, where sessile creatures cling to any solid outcrop and corals craft kingdoms on the seamount crusts. The worlds of the deep sea could not be more different, and yet their stories are fundamentally intertwined. In this episode, we delve into the Midnight Zone and the Twilight Zone, where anglerfish, giant sharks, and bioluminescent wonders are found traversing the void. Join as we uncover fascinating deep ocean facts and mysteries.

This film features only real footage of deep sea creatures. It is the combination of my Twilight Zone and Midnight Zone films, featuring re-recorded narration and updated visuals. You can find the episodes on my channel individually as well.

Support my work on Patreon: www.patreon.com/naturalworldfacts

Get your hands on DEEP SEA MERCH: naturalworldfacts.myshopify.com/

Written, narrated and edited by me, Leo Richards. This channel (Natural World Facts) is a solo passion project dedicated to exploring the wonders of the natural world and telling stories that inspire! I'm so excited to share this series with you at last.

Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI) is a non-profit oceanographic research foundation that has been pioneering deep-sea research and discovery since 2009, on board their old vessel RV Falkor and their new RV Falkor (too). Their remotely operated vehicle (ROV) SuBastian is equipped with a suite of sensors and a 4K camera that has illuminated the depths and live-streamed dives around the world. Most footage shown is filmed and provided by SOI. Huge thank you to them for contributing their footage, and working with me to create this series! Check out their website: schmidtocean.org/

If you love my content, you should check out Planet Wild. They're an environmental protection YouTube channel from Berlin. They’re on a mission to protect biodiversity in troubled ecosystems around the globe. They're on a mission to bring back endangered species, clean up our oceans from plastic and rewild entire forests to give them back to nature.

If you want to get to know them, check out this video on YouTube, where they protect majestic blue whales with the help of drones. It’s a spectacular video, which I highly recommend to you: planetwild.com/r/naturalworldfacts/m14

Music Used:

Most tracks sourced from Artlist, aside from a number of wonderful original elements, themes and motifs crafted by the fantastic Robb Taylor ​⁠(@robbtaylormusic on Instagram). Check out his website at robbtaylor.org

00:00:00 - Introduction to The Deep Sea
00:03:40 - Prologue: Remotely Operated Vehicles
00:04:54 - Chapter 1.1 - The Epipelagic Zone (Sunlight Zone)
00:06:55 - Chapter 1.2 - The Mesopelagic Zone (Twilight Zone)
00:08:41 - Chapter 1.3 - Deep Sea Bioluminescence
00:10:14 - Chapter 1.4 - Deep Sea Plankton
00:13:37 - Chapter 1.5 - Jellyfish Life Cycles
00:14:34 - Chapter 1.6 - Mesopelagic Jellyfish
00:15:41 - Chapter 1.7 - Mesopelagic Nekton
00:20:40 - Chapter 1.8 - Camouflage in the Twilight Zone
00:25:04 - [Sponsored Interlude]
00:26:22 - Chapter 1.9 - The Diel Vertical Migration
00:32:44 - Chapter 2.1 - The Bathypelagic Zone (Midnight Zone)
00:36:04 - Chapter 2.2 - Ctenophores (Comb Jellies)
00:37:52 - Chapter 2.3 - Deep Sea Anglerfish
00:39:29 - Chapter 2.4 - Fusiform, Compressiform & Globiform Fish
00:41:48 - Chapter 2.5 - Anguilliform Fish
00:44:36 - Chapter 2.6 - Camouflage in Midnight Zone Fish
00:48:38 - Chapter 2.7 - Mesmerising Deep Sea Cephalopods
01:00:21 - Chapter 2.8 - Larvae & Hitchhikers in the Bathypelagic
01:09:11 - Chapter 2.9 - Jellyfish & Siphonophores
01:15:46 - Nutrient Cycles in the Deep Sea
01:20:56 - The Deep Sea Floor

CHECK OUT MY DEEP SEA WEBSITE: naturalworldfacts.com/deep-sea-hub/

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