The bizarre and beautiful creatures in David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II

BLUE Planet II comes 20 years after the original series, which set out to explore the deepest and darkest realms of the world’s oceans.

BLUE Planet is back — after film crews spent four years scouring the seas for a fresh cast of mysterious and beautiful, aquatic animals.

Here’s your guide to some of the astonishing creatures featured in the new series, narrated by David Attenborough.

WHAT IS THE GIANT TREVALLY?

Blue Planet II TV crews may have captured one of their most incredible sights yet: a vicious fish called a giant trevally leaping out of the water trying to snatch a flying seabird (seen in the video above).

The giant trevally is an enormous beast capable of growing to 80kg, bigger than many sharks.

Typically the creatures hunt alone or in packs and prey on fish from shorelines in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, but have also been known to kill turtles and small dolphins with a body slam method.

They eat in a single bite to stop other fish from poaching their food, and can jump 1.8 metres and reach speeds of 60km/h.

Giant trevally are often considered prized by fishermen as they can snap rods and fishing lines with their strength.

WHAT IS THE ASIAN SHEEPSHEAD WRASSE?

Another creature featured on the new series is the Asian sheepshead wrasse, or Kobudai, which was filmed on a kelp-covered shipwreck in Japan.

The Asian sheepshead wrasse are characteristic thanks to their ‘forehead’ protrusions.

The marine fish is one of the largest species of wrasse native to the Pacific Ocean.

It can be recognised by its pinkish-grey skin and large swelling-like protrusions that resemble a “forehead” and “chin”.

The fish can reach up to 3.2ft in length and typically inhabits areas consisting of rocky reefs.

WHAT IS THE ZEBRA MANTIS?

The zebra mantis shrimp or striped mantis shrimp, is a creature typically found across the Indo-Pacific region.

It can grow up to 40cm in length, making it one of the largest mantis shrimp in the world.

Mantis shrimps typically are classed in two categories, smashers and spearers, and the zebra mantis falls in the latter camp.

It ambushes small fish by spearing them in a slashing motion with their raptorial appendages (front legs).

WHAT IS THE FANGTOOTH?

With its long teeth and prickly scales, the fangtooth fish, or Anoplogaster cornuta, looks like it swam straight out of a horror movie.

Its gigantic teeth are actually the longest of any fish in the ocean in comparison to its body size, which typically can reach 6in in length.

The fangtooth’s eyesight is relatively poor, so scientists think it hunts by chemoreception, where it essentially must bump into food in the dark waters.

The fangtooth’s gigantic teeth are actually the longest of any fish in the ocean, in relation to its body size.

Adult fangtooth fish hunt on other fish and squid, while younger ones will filter zooplankton from the water.

It is one of the deepest living fish discovered and has been observed as deep as 16,000ft.

Typically they’ll remain at the depths during the day to avoid being hunted by tuna and marlin, and then will rise nearer to the surface to hunt by starlight, and are thought to use their teeth as protection.

The fish is found throughout the world in tropical or moderate oceans, including off the coast of Australia.

WHAT IS THE MOBULA RAY?

Mobula is a type of ray that is similar in appearance to manta rays, and is typically found in typical or warm seas.

They are often called flying mobula or devil rays due to their ability to spectacularly breach out of the water.

They can reach heights of nearly two metres when they launch out from the ocean, and can remain airborne for several seconds.

Mobula rays are closely related to sharks, but have flat bodies and distinctive pectoral fins.

Most species don’t have a tail stinger, or they have one that is encased so it is not harmful.

The mobula ray can launch itself over 6ft out of the water.

The new series of Blue Planet II was announced back in February and will air on Channel Nine in Australia.

Renowned naturalist Sir David Attenborough will be presenting the series and his familiar voice will form part of the narration.

The seven-part documentary sequel comes 20 years after the original series, which set out to explore the deepest and darkest realms of the world’s oceans.

One of the most memorable and heartbreaking scenes was a brutal attack by a group of killer whales on one of their babies.

Other creatures featured included dolphins, fish including marlins and sea birds.

And when it aired in 2001, it received widespread acclaim from both the public and critics alike.

It also made nearly $A34 million in the sales of DVDs, books and broadcast rights, while the show was sold to more than 150 territories across the globe.

This article originally appeared on The Sun.