By Laura Sharman

Published: 08:07 EDT, 14 September 2023 | Updated: 11:50 EDT, 14 September 2023

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South Park and The Simpsons are among countless nostalgic cartoons that many have grown up watching.

But it seems these may go beyond our screens, with an array of deep-sea creatures bearing an uncanny resemblance to their characters. 

Whether it’s a Pikachu sea slug or the real-life Squidward, the bulging features of many fish are almost too bizarre to be true. 

And it doesn’t stop with characters, as one particularly creepy creature may even remind you of an incredibly gone-off Krabby Patty. 

So, brace yourselves, as MailOnline delves into all things fishy with a list of some eerily familiar swimmers. 

1. Homer Simpson 

With bulging eyes and a miserable expression, this creature is the spitting image of The Simpsons’ iconic character.

Known as the Atlantic Stargazer, the fish buries and hides beneath the sand, with its face just visible through the grains.

But don’t be fooled – this Stargazer isn’t lazing about like his cartoon counterpart might. 

Instead, it’s actually likely to be staking out small fish, crabs and crustaceans for dinner.

Unfortunately for them, the Stargazer often uses poison to finish the job, which it ejects in its vicious bite.

This poison isn’t likely to kill a human, but will cause swelling that’s probably just as painful as Homer’s strangle. 

Another creepy Atlantic Stargazer was also captured by a nominee for this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award.

2. South Park’s Kenny McCormick

South Park’s notorious introvert seems to work quite well as an invertebrate.

Deep sea fisherman, Roman Fedorsov, shared photographs of the uncanny creature in the belief that it looked just like Kenny peeping out from his orange jacket.

‘Lord, they killed Kenny! Oh my God! They killed Kenny,’ he joked on Instagram. 

Despite its cartoon appearance, Mr Fedorsov’s find is actually an anemone – a close relative of jellyfish and coral. 

These carnivorous, aquatic animals spend most of their lives in one place, waiting for plankton, fish and even crabs to cross their paths.

When the opportunity arises, anemones shoot out filaments known as ‘nematocysts’, which completely paralyse their unsuspecting prey.

Tentacles are then used to guide any victims towards their impending doom inside the anemone’s mouth.

3. Squidward Tentacles

Spot this in the ocean and you’d be forgiven for thinking you’re in Bikini Bottom. 

With a slimy blue coat and an exceptionally large nose, this octopus looks strikingly similar to SpongeBob’s infamously miserable Squidward.

Unbelievable footage of the cephalopod was shot by photographer, Jonathon Gordon in the Caribbean back in 2015.

Within seconds, the eight-legged creature is seen to shift from its camouflaged state to a vibrant shade of turquoise as it moves slowly across the sea bed. 

Octopuses achieve this disguise by tactfully squeezing and contracting sacs of pigment beneath their skin, which can intensify certain colours while muting others.

Some species can also alter their skin texture to blend in with their surroundings, ranging from smooth to a bizarrely spiky surface.

 4. Krabby Patty

Whether it’s a mutated Big Mac or a rather dodgy Krabby Patty, there’s no doubt this strange specimen looks like a burger. 

Once again, this was shared by Mr Fedorsov who also commented on its not-so-appetising appearance. 

‘Is it a sea cheeseburger with teeth? Or Krabby Patty?’ he wrote.

‘Or the dented face of a ninja turtle?…Or McDonald’s new McRib sandwich? Or just another unknown animal from the bottom of the sea?’

Krabby Patties are fictional burgers from SpongeBob SquarePants, served by the main character at the Krusty Krab fast food restaurant. 

While it’s currently unclear what this species is, some commenters speculate that it may be two sea anemones stuck together. 

But this is not something that’s readily seen in our oceans, as anemones generally stay in one place for most of their lives.

They also mate both asexually and sexually by blasting sperm and eggs through their mouths and into the sea.

MailOnline has approached experts for further clarification.  

5. Pikachu 

Believe it or not, this sea slug hasn’t just shot out of a Poké Ball.

But the mysterious Thecacera pacifica does bear a strange resemblance to Pikachu, the world-famous Pokémon character. 

While these creatures are found across the Indian Ocean and western Pacific, they are very rarely spotted thanks to their diminutive size of just one to two centimetres.

Albeit tiny, these slugs still shouldn’t be underestimated, as they hold numerous abilities like their fictional TV twin. 

While Pikachu ejects electric shocks when stressed, this species exudes toxins to defend itself. 

Jellyfish, plankton and algae make up most of their diet, but the slug currently remains very illusive to marine biologists. 

6. Three-eyed fish

The Simpsons has built a reputation for unknowingly predicting the future – from Trump’s presidency to the underwater submersible tragedy in June.

And now, the hit Fox series has struck again, with an episode from the 1990s mirroring the discovery of a mutated three-eyed fish in real life.

Just like The Simpsons’ creature, this catfish was caught from waters that were brimming with so much pollution that its genetics had completely shifted.

Heavy metals, coal tar waste and volatile organics were found in the water in Gowanus Canal, Brooklyn – and eating the fish would pose a great threat to human health.

Fears of similarly mutated fish have arisen once more in Japan, as it was decided that waste from the Fukushima nuclear powerplant would be released into the Pacific Ocean.

While authorities claim it poses no threat to humans, activists are outraged by the sheer risk of treated waste. 

Amid the controversy, the Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, ate a sashimi fish on camera to prove it was safe to eat.

This again mirrors The Simpsons, with Mr Burns eating a fish exposed to nuclear waste in a previous episode.

An adventurer who was trying to cross the Atlantic Ocean from Florida to Britain in a home-made hamster wheel has been arrested.

Reza Baluchi, 51, was detained 70 nautical miles into his journey off Tybee Island, Georgia, after a three-day standoff with US coastguards.

The Iranian national, who lives in Florida, was attempting to make the 5000 nautical mile journey on a human-powered vessel that is in the shape of a hamster wheel. 

The contraption consists of a metal drum, with paddle wheels on either side which are buoyant, theoretically allowing him to run across the waves. 

On August 26 the USS Coast Guard cutter Valiant intercepted him at sea before he allegedly threatened anyone attempting to arrest gum that he would take his own life with a 12-inch knife and that he had a bomb onboard his vessel, according to Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.

After two days Baluchi finally admitted that there was no bomb on his hamster wheel and another day later he joined officers on their boat. 

He was brought ashore on September 1 and faces federal charges of obstruction of a boarding and violation of a Captain of the Port order.

‘Based on the condition of the vessel – which was afloat as a result of wiring and buoys – USCG officers determined Baluchi was conducting a manifestly unsafe voyage,’ the criminal complaint filed in US District Court in Florida stated.

It is not the first time Baluchi has attempted to use the hamster wheel to travel across the ocean.

In July 2021 he tried to travel from Miami to New York City for charity but was washed ashore on a Florida beach not far from where he set off.

Deputies from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office arrived on the scene at a beach in Hammock, near Miami, after concerned residents reported seeing the unusual cylindrical vessel.

When they arrived, they said, they found Baluchi safe inside without any injuries.

Baluchi reportedly told the authorities he was trying to run in the floating vessel from Florida to New York to raise money for charity but ‘came across some complications that brought him back to shore,’ the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office explained in a Facebook post following the rescue.

‘My goal is not only raise money for homeless people, raise money for the Coast Guard, raise money for the police department, raise money for the fire department,’ Baluchi told FOX 35 News. 

‘They are in public service, they do it for safety and they help other people.’

He reportedly carries around a GPS with him on each of his treks, so family and friends know where he is at all times, and carries enough food and water to keep him safe and can ‘survive anywhere for days and weeks,’ his friend, Gina Laspina told the local news channel. 

But this is far from the first time Baluchi had to be rescued from one of his floating vessels, which he calls a ‘bubble’.

Baluchi had to be rescued from a ‘hydro-bubble’ near Saint Augustine in 2014 when he had attempted to journey 3,000 miles from Florida to Bermuda. 

And in 2016 he had to be rescued off the coast of Jupiter. Miami Coast Guard spent 12 hours trying to coax him out of his homemade inflatable bubble after already warning him not to attempt a ‘life-threatening’ 3,500 mile ocean journey.

Ahead of that trip, Baluchi had been given a written warning by the Coast Guard not to attempt the five month trip from Pompano Beach, Florida, bound for Bermuda via the Caribbean. Officials said it was too dangerous, and put him and other sailors at risk.

Discover the wonder of the wide blue yonder, courtesy of these wonderful aquatic photographs.

They’ve been revealed as finalists in the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2023 awards, a prestigious annual contest that’s described as ‘a celebration of our beautiful blue planet as well as a platform to highlight the many plights it is facing’.

Thousands of photographers entered photographs into this year’s competition, showing the full spectrum of ocean life through everything from aerial imagery to underwater photography.

The standout images that have captivated the judges include a stunning shot of humpback whales feeding next to cathedral-like icebergs, a haunting picture of a sunken passenger plane in the Red Sea and an adorable image of a green sea turtle hatchling crawling across the sand in Australia.

Divided across categories such as ‘Wildlife’, ‘Adventure’ and ‘Human Connection’, the overall winners of the contest will be announced in September.

Scroll down to dive into a selection of the spectacular photographs that have made it into the final…

Japan started dumping more than 1.3 million tons of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean Thursday – and an expert has warned it ‘has the potential to cause mutations as seen in Chernobyl.’

The wastewater is currently being held in the nation’s Fukushima nuclear plant, which is set to be decommissioned and must be cleaned to prevent accidental leaks

The contaminated water has been filtered to remove isotopes, leaving only tritium and carbon-14, which are radioactive isotopes of hydrogen and carbon that cannot be easily removed from water

Timothy Mousseau, a researcher at the University of South Carolina, told DailyMai.com: Tritium and carbon-14, along with the other radionuclides [that cause cancer] to be released, all have the potential to cause mutations, cancers and developmental deformities, as seen in Chernobyl.’

In March 2011, the Fukushima power plant was wrecked after an earthquake and tsunami destroyed the plant’s cooling systems, causing three reactors to melt – the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.

Chernobyl a power station on the outskirts of Pripyat, suffered a massive accident in which one of the reactors caught fire and exploded, spreading radioactive material into the surroundings.

Since then, animals exposed have developed deformities and genetic changes, and residents have been stricken with cancer. 

Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) said when Fukushima experienced its meltdown, the organization collected the contaminated water as it cooled the wrecked reactors, along with groundwater and rain seeped in. 

The Japanese government began using the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) 2013 to filter out the most harmful substances.

ALPS removes nearly all of the toxic elements in the water, but it is unable to filter out tritium.

TEPCO considers tritium to be harmless, but it increases the risk of cancer when consumed in large quantities.

Moussea said: ‘There is no doubt that there will be some injury to the exposed organisms.’

To release the wastewater into the ocean, TEPOC has constructed a mile-long undersea tunnel that extends out from the base of the nuclear power plant.

TEPCO pushed the release button on the tanks Thursday to start the dumping process, which is set to take up to 40 years. 

The filtering process will remove strontium-90 and iodine-129, and the concentration of carbon-14 in the contaminated water is far lower than its regulatory standard for discharge, according to TEPCO and Japanese government documents. 

MAP NEEDS CAPTION ^^  

However, that still leaves levels of tritium in the water. CONFUSED STILL! 

‘Unfortunately, at present, there is no process that would allow for industrial-scale removal of tritium from contaminated water,’ Mousseau said.

‘The only alternatives to dumping are to a) keep storing it until natural radioactive decay reduces concentrations to very low levels (50-100 years) or b) to fix it in a substrate (e.g. concrete) so that it can not accumulate in the ecosystem.’

Tritium is a colorless, odorless gas with a half-life of about 12 years. 

And the form of hydrogen has been produced in large quantities by the nuclear military program.

It can enter the body through inhalation, ingestion or absorption through the skin, and it increases the risk of cancer if consumed in extremely large quantities, 

‘Based on our review of the literature, we have found that if ingested, absorbed or inhaled, tritium in any form can cause genetic damage (i.e. increased mutation rates), cancer, developmental defects, reduced fertility or even sterility, and reduced longevity,’ Mousseau said.

‘At high doses, tritium can lead to mortality. At low doses, such effects are likely to escape detection because of the technical challenges of studying this isotope, but at higher doses, such as might arise as a result of biomagnification, effects could be considerable and of significant concern for top predators (e.g. humans).’

The Japanese plan was greenlighted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), part of the United Nations, following a two-year-long safety review that concluded in July.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in a foreword of the report: ‘Based on its comprehensive assessment, the IAEA has concluded that the approach and activities to the discharge of ALPS treated water taken by Japan are consistent with relevant international safety standards.

‘Furthermore, the IAEA notes the controlled, gradual discharges of the treated water to the sea, as currently planned and assessed by TEPCO, would have a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment.’

Greenpeace said on Tuesday that the radiological risks had not been fully assessed and that the biological impacts of tritium, carbon-14, strontium-90 and iodine-129 – to be released with the water – ‘have been ignored.’

DailyMail.com has contacted IAEA and Greenpeace for comment. 

TEPCO plans to release 8,598 tons of wastewater in the first round of the project, which will carry on for 17 days.

The organization claims 34,392 tons should be released by March 2024, an equivalent of 10 tanks.

‘It is impossible to predict the long-term consequences of the dumping without further scientific study,’ said Mousseau.

Similar uncertainties existed for the effects of pesticides (e.g. DDT), chlorofluorocarbons (i.e. effects on the ozone layer), plastics and even CO2 (effects on climate change). 

The lack of sufficient study in these other situations led to the near extinction of many animals (e.g. DDT effects on birds). 

‘Luckily, we have largely recovered from the effects of pesticides and CFCs but are still dealing with the long-term effects of plastics and greenhouse gasses. The long-term impacts of tritium releases are, at present, completely unknown but should be of great concern to all.’

Despite Japan insisting that the water discharge is completely safe following assessments from foreign experts and the IAEA, the plan has enraged neighboring countries.

China has since banned Japanese seafood and criticized the country as ‘extremely selfish and irresponsible.’ 

The Chinese Communist Party’s flagship newspaper, The Global Times, then wrote that it could open ‘Pandora’s box’ and trigger fears of a ‘real-life Godzilla,’ about the reptile monster that first appeared in Japanese cinema in 1954. 

Beijing’s foreign ministry said in a statement: ‘The ocean is the common property of all humanity, and forcibly starting the discharge of Fukushima’s nuclear wastewater into the ocean is an extremely selfish and irresponsible act that ignores international public interests.’ 

South Korean protestors also attempted to enter the Japanese embassy in Seoul carrying banners that read ‘The sea is not Japan’s trash bin.’ 

A dead British-built satellite is set to plummet to Earth later with the help of a never-before-tried manoeuvre to bring it down safely.

Mission controllers have embarked on a daring and unprecedented attempt to steer the 1.3-tonne Aeolus probe into a position that will see it crash harmlessly into the Atlantic Ocean.

The weather-monitoring satellite was not designed for a controlled re-entry at the end of its mission, but the European Space Agency (ESA) wants to use what little fuel remains onboard to guide it towards a remote part of the planet. 

Although much of the car-sized satellite will burn up in the atmosphere, about 20 per cent of the debris is expected to reach the surface later today, where it will sink into a watery grave.

ESA’s ambitious plan is the first manoeuvre of its kind.

The aim is to gather data for future satellite re-entries so that other spacefaring nations and private companies can use similar methods to safely steer down dead spacecraft and minimise the already low risk of them landing in populated areas. 

‘This assisted reentry attempt goes above and beyond safety regulations for the mission, which was planned and designed in the late 1990s,’ said Tim Flohrer, head of ESA’s Space Debris Office. 

‘Once ESA and industrial partners found that it might be possible to further reduce the already minimal risk to life or infrastructure even further, the wheels were set in motion. 

‘Should all go to plan, Aeolus would be in line with current safety regulations for missions being designed today.’ 

Aeolus, which was built by British engineers at Airbus, has been orbiting Earth at an altitude of 200 miles (320km) for five years.

Launched in 2018 to measure wind in the atmosphere to improve weather forecasts, it fired a laser down towards our planet to track the movement of air every location and altitude worldwide.

It did this by collecting the scattering of light that reflects back from dust, gas and droplets of water moving in wind. 

The speed at which various markers, and the winds that carry them, are moving were then revealed by changes in the wavelength of the light.

However, after successfully completely its mission Aeolus’s fuel is almost spent.

The satellite has been falling from its operational altitude of 198 miles (320km) since June 19 and is now being dragged towards re-entry by gravity and the Earth’s atmosphere. 

When it reached an altitude of 174 miles (280km) on Monday, mission controllers in Germany began a series of manoeuvres to steer it to a lower orbit.

At first it was brought down to 155 miles (250km), then down to 142 miles (230km) as the week has gone on.

Officials ultimately want to get it to an orbit of 75 miles (120km) and on a trajectory to fall into the Atlantic about five hours later.  

ESA said it was impossible to give an exact timing for Aeolus’s re-entry.

Angus Stewart, head of space surveillance and tracking at the UK Space Agency, said: ‘Aeolus is a great example of the power of space to benefit us on Earth, with the UK-built spacecraft providing valuable data to leading weather centres across Europe since 2018, significantly improving global forecasts.

‘But with more than 8,000 operational satellites and more than 30,000 pieces of trackable debris, the ability to operate safely in space is growing increasingly challenging. 

‘We must protect the environment in which satellites operate and keep space open for future generations, and it’s great to see ESA carrying out this assisted re-entry – the first of its kind.

“The UK Space Agency operates the UK’s re-entry warning service and has tasked our UK sensors to observe the re-entry. 

‘These observations have been sent to ESA and the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) to support the re-entry analysis.’

Travel writer Jo Kessel filmed her two-night voyage on one of the world’s most iconic ships. The footage shows her exclusive Princess Grill Suite (one of the ship’s highest-category cabins) and the perks that come with it. Plus, it has the inside scoop on the ship’s planetarium, its library with 10,000 books and a special cocktail called the ‘Transatlantic Love Affair’.

Luxury British cruise line Cunard is one of the world’s most prestigious and upmarket. Its flagship is the £850million Queen Mary 2, which is still the longest, tallest and most expensive liner ever built. 

It is also the world’s only ocean liner – designed to transport passengers across thousands of miles of wide, open Atlantic. All other vessels in the cruise industry are ships, not liners.

Cunard’s very first ocean liner was Britannia, built in 1840. Over the centuries there have been various incarnations with the 2,691-passenger Queen Mary 2 (QM2) being the most recent – its predecessor was the Queen Elizabeth 2. The line is constantly updating and refreshing and a few years ago the QM2 received a £90million facelift.

Sailing in any cabin on the QM2 is a bucket list experience. But its most exclusive accommodation are ‘Grill’ suites – deluxe cabins that come with their own VIP lounge, sun terrace and restaurant. Keen to see what staying in a top-dollar cabin on one of the world’s most iconic ships is like, I checked into a Princess Grill suite, hoping to capture it on camera.

The video starts by exploring Queen Mary’s exteriors. The top deck on most cruise ships has a central swimming pool, but not on the QM2. While there are pools – five in total – its core open deck is dedicated to classic cruise games like quoits, shuffleboard and paddle tennis, all great fun to play.

The mainstay of Queen Mary is its famed seven-day transatlantic crossing between Southampton and New York. It’s for these that the ship has such a unique design, with a wider-than-normal wraparound promenade as well as a vast expanse on the top deck for passengers to stretch their legs.

Occasionally the ship does sail elsewhere. Mine was a two-night mini-cruise from Southampton to Hamburg. From there the ship continued to the Norwegian fjords before returning to Atlantic crossings.

The QM2 is a historic ship whose classic interiors hark back to a bygone era. The footage reveals the grand atrium’s sweeping staircases – it’s impossible not to channel your inner Kate Winslet as you float down it. Equally impressive is its vast wooden library, complete with 10,000 books. The late Queen Elizabeth II (who is the godmother of this ship) found this space particularly inspiring when she toured the vessel prior to naming it in 2004.

Back in Titanic’s time passengers sailed first class, second class or steerage. And while today even Queen Mary’s cheapest cabins are pretty classy, the top-end cabins really do offer a taste of how first-class might have been. Ditto my Princess Grill suite, which is where the video heads next. 

It’s unbelievably spacious, decorated in royal reds and blues, with a walk-in wardrobe and an oversized balcony. If only it came with Leonardo di Caprio! It does come with other perks, however, including access to an exclusive lounge, sun terrace and restaurant.

Cunard has a reputation for being a glamorous, elegant line whose passengers love dressing for dinner and the film shows me getting glammed up for Gala night – it makes a pleasant change from jeans and a T-shirt. 

But would the exclusive restaurant reserved for Princess Grill suite guests really prove superior fine dining? The answer is a resounding yes. Sizzling in the frying pan was a rack of lamb, a speciality I’d had to pre-order earlier in the day. Not only was the artistry of it being prepared ‘a table’ a feast for the eyes, but the dish was a treat for the taste buds. It was melt-in-the-mouth superb; ditto the crepes Suzettes for dessert.

The remainder of the video offers a snapshot of the many activities available to make the most of a day at sea. On the schedule are dance classes galore – I tried the line-dancing one in the Queen’s ballroom, which really got the heart pumping. A sit-down was in order afterwards and the ship’s planetarium is the hottest ticket. It’s the largest at sea and is the perfect place to lie back and ponder not just our starry universe but also how incredible it is that a liner even has a planetarium!

Cocktails are also a Cunard classic. The most famed is the ‘Transatlantic Love Affair’ served in the Commodore Club. Ingredients include sherry, gin and prosecco. The piece de resistance is when the barman sets light to it. 

Then there’s afternoon tea served by white-gloved waiters and accompanied by a harpist. The signature scones with clotted cream are divine.

There’s a romance about the Queen Mary 2 that no other ship captures. This is classic cruising at its finest and life on board often feels like a scene from a movie. Indeed, the ship has a wall of fame featuring the Hollywood greats that have sailed on it (and its predecessors) over the years, from Clark Gable to Elizabeth Taylor to Charlie Chaplin. Better still, this is a ship that knows how to party and that’s where the film ends, with some boogying in the nightclub followed by a high-octane Broadway-style theatre show.

Two nights is a good taster, but I was left wanting more. And the great news is that more is on the cards. Stay tuned for Cunard’s brand new ship Queen Anne, coming to our seas in May 2024.

For more videos from Jo, visit her YouTube channel, Go With Jo.