THE BRINY BLUE — Do you remember that scene from "The Little Mermaid" when Ariel meets Ursula? As she follows Flotsam and Jetsam into the creepy lair, she encounters the "poor, unfortunate souls" that have been cursed. The ghoulish creatures rise from the bottom of the sea and try to entangle Ariel (in a desperate plea for help, I assume).

It's an undeniably scary scene for any kid to see. Sure, those creatures are freed from their captivity by the movie's end. But you don't know that when you first witness their plight.

When I saw this video, I realized Disney's animators might have taken some inspiration from eels when they created this scene and those characters: Flotsam and Jetsam. But, did eels like this provide even bigger inspiration?

The eels in this video aren't as scary as the "poor, unfortunate souls," but how they squiggle and sway in the water like a living garden seems very similar to Ursula's victims.

A scuba diver in Indonesia noticed peculiar motion on the sea floor but failed to see anything after diving down for a closer look. They decided to leave a waterproof camera for a while to capture the action, then saw this amazing scene after retrieving the camera.

Regardless of whether these eels influenced "The Little Mermaid," I'm a huge fan of their stealthiness and the bizarre way they make their presence known.

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