In pictures: Asia's creatures of the deep sea

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A specimen of a Murray's abyssal anglerfish, found in tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans
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They may look like creatures from your worst nightmare but don't judge them by their appearance. An exhibition held at the ArtScience Museum in Singapore was curated by wildlife film director Claire Nouvian, and features stunning photos and specimens of deep sea creatures from waters around Asia.
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The animals are also the central focus of Ms Nouvian's 2007 book titled, "The Deep: Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss". "We know very little about the ocean floor. Only 1% of it has been sampled so that tells you how much is left to explore," Ms Nouvian told the BBC.
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One creature that particularly fascinated Ms Nouvian was the "dumbo octopus", also scientifically known as Opisthotheusis adorabilis. "What's so interesting about it is that it lacks suckers. Instead, it makes use of a special light to attract animals to its mouth when feeding," she said. The tiny octopus is commonly found in waters off Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines.
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Growing up to one metre in length, marine scientists say this mysterious red jellyfish lacks stinging tentacles and instead, uses long fleshy arms to capture its prey. It has been spotted in various parts of the Pacific Ocean and in deep coastal waters off Japan.
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Ms Nouvian's quest to find "original, dynamic photographs" played a big part in her work. "Encountering rare animals (like this threadfin snailfish) is a challenge and capturing it on film is luck," Ms Nouvian told the BBC. She added that she only wanted photos of "living animals, not ones that were pickled or dead."
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All the photographs in Ms Nouvian's book were taken with the help of submersibles. "If you venture into the deep sea, you may never even see some of the rare animals featured in my work," she said.
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With regards to specimens of deep sea creatures, one major challenge Ms Nouvian faced was convincing scientists to share their work. "A scientist had a creature that was his only specimen so it was a challenge for me to convince him to let go of it and share it with the world," she said. "I had to be sensitive in convincing him to allow us to have it for display, rather than just keeping it in his lab."
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All of the specimens, like this deep sea angler fish, had washed up "dead from the ocean". "Ninety percent of the animals you'll see are really rare finds," Ms Nouvian said. She had also sought second opinions from deep sea experts and scientists when curating the exhibit.