Scientists Discover Massive ‘Silly String’ Creature in Deep Sea
Earlier this year, scientists at the Schmidt Ocean Institute captured footage of a massive siphonophore in the Indian Ocean. Siphonophores are closely related to jellyfish, and this individual may be the largest ever recorded.
The institute shared video and images of the giant ocean creature, which formed a galaxy-like spiral while floating off the coast of Western Australia.
Photo: YouTube / Pass The Story
A massive siphonophore coils in wide, glowing loops deep in the ocean.
Based on its diameter, the creature was estimated to be about 154 feet long.
“We think it’s the longest animal recorded to date,” said Carlie Wiener, director of marine communications at the Schmidt Ocean Institute.
Siphonophores are deep-sea predators related to jellyfish and corals. They catch prey such as tiny crustaceans and fish using a curtain of stinging cells. What appears to be a single animal is actually a colony made up of thousands of individual, highly specialized clone bodies that function together as one coordinated organism.
“There is so much we don’t know about the deep sea, and there are countless species never before seen,” said Wendy Schmidt, co-founder of the Schmidt Ocean Institute. “The Ningaloo Canyons are just one of many vast underwater wonders we are about to discover that can help us better understand our planet.”
