For millions of years the ocean has been a refuge for all manner of surprising organisms, resulting in some exceptionally unsettling body types. When life was just starting to make its debut on land for instance, animals such as Eurypterids; early scorpion-like arthropods that could reach 8 feet in length, were among the largest of the world’s early apex predators (via Earth Archive). Giant ocean-dwelling predators have been a trend ever since, with others like the giant Devonian-era fish Dunkleosteus and the more recent whale-eating shark Megalodon terrorizing their respective prey for millions of years.

Even today seemingly mythical animals like the Giant Squid are still alive and well. There is another creature alive in the modern era that is also a giant representative of its family. As described by Wired, the Bobbit Worm is a relatively unknown predator whose rarity has prevented both extensive study and media exposure. Given that many can measure around 10-feet-long and all possess massive shear-like mandibles, perhaps for casual swimmers, this is a good thing.

The Bobbit worm is understandably named after Lorena Bobbit

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