The beautiful monsters of the deep: The jellyfish in Norway which look more like aliens than fjord-dwellers



They look like creatures from another world, but these incredible looking jellyfish are actually found in the Norwegian fjords.

The beautiful animals, which are between one centimetre and a metre in size, swarm in their hundreds as they emerge from the murky depths.

The 37-year-old's pictures show each bizarre brightly-coloured creature in stunning detail.

Fishbowl: Barrel jellyfish in the North Atlantic Ocean are opaque white colour with purple/blue lobes - and can weigh up to 35k

Pictured: One of the deep sea jellyfish, Leuckartiara medusae, gleams translucently for the lens

Spiky legs: This bizarre creature from the depths is hydromedusae

A blue lionmane jellyfish, pictured in front of an either bigger brother, can grow up to seven feet in diameter - and have tendrils stretching up to 100 feet

The jellyfish are also found in the North Atlantic ocean - but Mr Rekdal went into the fjords for these pictures.



One looks almost like a parachute as it floats through the water with its tendrils dragging behind it.

Others, which are almost transparent, appear to glow in the dull water around them.

Mr Rekdal said: 'The deep sea jellyfish, featured here is a special phenomena occurring in only a couple of special fjords.

'These jellyfish are found worldwide in very deep water.

'But here in Norway there are a couple of deep fjords were they come up from the deep to feed during the night.

'Like vampires their cellular structures disintegrate when hit by daylight and they quickly return to the depths at the break of dawn.'

Are these twins? Hydromedusa sails past the camera

This images of the helmet jellyfish looks almost like the work of a graphic artist. It lives between 1,000 and 7,000ft underwater

Side view: Helmet jelly from another angle in Norway

And one more of this jelly-like creature of the depth, floating past the camera

Mr Rekdal, from Romslo, near Bergen, was able to take the shots by diving with specialist underwater camera equipment.

His camera was carefully housed in aluminium watertight casings which have glass portholes to photograph through.

He admitted taking the photographs was no easy task. Even the slightest movement or flash of light could send his subjects diving out of sight.

The juvenile moon jellyfish can withstand temperatures as low as -6C and as high as 31C

He said: 'Light use is kept to a minimum as the jellyfish quickly react to the light and seek refuge in deeper water.

'The jellyfish, some up to a meter in diameter when arms are extended, swarm in the hundreds, all strutting their arms in hope of catching prey.

'The tricky part is to approach the jellyfish slowly and with as little light as to not warn them of your presence.