Australian Scientists Discover Massive Deep Sea Predator That Looks Like Silly String
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On March 16, 2020, researchers aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute's ship Falkor stumbled upon a beautiful *giant* Apolemia, a type of siphonophore, in the Indian Ocean off western Australia. The scientists are not sure of the exact length of the silly string-like creature, which was found in the Ningaloo Canyons at a depth of 2,070 feet (631 meters). However, based on the measurement of its outer ring by a laser-equipped drone, they estimate it was 150 feet (46 meters) long.
"We think it's the longest animal recorded to date," Dr. Carlie Wiener, director of marine communications at the institute, told USA TODAY.
Siphonophores, which are related to jellyfish, are deep-sea predators that prey on tiny crustacean and fish using the vast array of stinging cells on their tentacles. Though they appear as a single organism, every specimen is a gelatinous colony made up of thousands of individuals, each fulfilling a specialized function. Some are responsible for catching prey, while others are charged with distributing the nutrients throughout the colony.
Dr. Rebecca Helm, an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina, who was not part of the expedition, believes the find is significant because siphonophores are fragile and hard to find. "I've gone on numerous expeditions and have never, EVER, seen anything like this," she wrote in a tweet. "THIS animal is massive. AND not just massive, the colony is exhibiting a stunning behavior: it's hunting." The researcher, who specializes in the evolution and development of jellyfish, speculates that because it takes a long time for life to grow in the near-freezing deep sea temperatures, this creature could be "tens, possibly HUNDREDS of years old."
This was not the only intriguing animal discovered by the Schmidt Ocean Institute researchers during their investigation of the rarely explored deep-sea areas in and around Australia. Their month-long expedition across Bremer Bay, Perth Canyon, and the Ningaloo Canyons, which involved 20 dives, has led to the discovery of about 30 new species! Here is a glimpse of the amazing underwater world the lucky scientists experienced.
Resources: USAtoday.com, schmidtocean.org, www.slashgear.com
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283 Comments
chocolaterollsover 4 yearsomg thats so kul i kinda wanna feel it
whataburgerover 4 yearsWow looks so cool but scary looks like something in the movies
girlonfire2424over 4 yearsWhat the heck!!! That thing is CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!
c01eover 4 yearsWow !!!
zara123over 4 yearsYikes, I am so scared now, I live on the Pacific coast you know where the Hollywood people live. I go to the beach a lot, but I can't right now anyway because of quarantine.
rekekeeeover 4 yearsWow this is so awesome! Just imagine going underwater and seeing that long string animals thingy and you think it is some sort of litter or something so your are like, "Hey, I'm going to be a good person and pick up this trash!" So you reach out and touch it and the WHOLE THING STARTS TO WIGGLE AND JIGGLE and you FREAK OUT!
retymati-158412341287over 4 yearsTheir videos on youtube are pretty interesting, people should go check it out!
sansundertaleover 4 yearsI LOVE DEEP SEA CRATURES!!!!!!1
xxxalexxxover 4 yearsthis is cool but kinda creepy XD
yagrlnoelaniover 4 yearsThis Creature was found in the indian ocean so people who live in the atlanic......... We are safe!!
