The team at Schmidt Ocean Institute are exploring the deep sea area around Argentina with their remote operating submarine vessel, specially designed to withstand the pressure of deep ocean diving. This jellyfish is one of the many otherworldly creatures they observed. They explain:
More than 2¼ miles below the ocean surface, the psychedelic jellyfish captured attention while the Argentinian Deep Seeps science team observed stunning biodiversity along the country’s continental shelf. Traveling along the entire length of the coastline, from Buenos Aires in the north to an area offshore from Tierra del Fuego, scientists documented the largest known Bathelia candida coral reef in the global ocean, several other rich reef complexes, and 28 suspected new species, including worms, corals, sea urchins, sea snails, and sea anemones.
Another sighting from this dive was a humongous phantom jellyfish. Photographed at a depth of 250 meters, these giants are very rarely spotted, although scientists presume that they are represented throughout their range. These jellies can grow up to 1 meter in diameter at their bell-shaped head with arms that reach up to 10 meters in length. They are one of the largest known invertebrate predators of the deep sea, using their limbs to capture plankton and small fish.
I’ve included another video so you can appreciate how ghostly they are and how gracefully they swim in the depths. The small fish swim nearby are part of a symbiotic partnership. The fish rely on the jellyfish to help protect them from predators in the vast space of the open water, while consuming parasites on their enormous friend.
The source for today’s gif is below.
Ta, Martini. Jellyfish are among the only creatures that frighten me.
Whoa