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Deep Sea Researchers Discover New Species of Glowing Jellyfish
No special effects here, that is a real life jellyfish.
During a research trip near the Mariana Trench on the Okeanos Explorer, a UFO-like jellyfish was discovered almost 2.3 miles below the ocean’s surface. The unnamed jellyfish belongs to the genus Crossota and was discovered by Okeanos, a remotely-operated research vehicle.
“You’ll see that the long tentacles are even and extended outward, and the bell is motionless,” the national Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shared. “This suggests an ambush predation mode. Within the bell, the radial canals in red are connecting points for what looks like the gonads in bright yellow.”
“Researchers speculate the red canals connect to the bright yellow objects, which could be gonads, reproductive glands that produce sperm in males and eggs in females,” shared the Huffington Post.
The jellyfish was found in the deepest part of the ocean that spreads out over 1,500 miles across the ocean floor.
The Okeanos Explorer will continue exploring the depths of the ocean using remote vehicles until July 10. Researchers are hoping to explore and find out more information about “extreme life” in that part of the ocean. Check out additional footage from the Okeanos Explorer below.