(ORDO NEWS) — Researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) discovered a previously unknown blood-red jellyfish during an underwater expedition. She lives at a depth of 700 meters.
Scientists have filmed a still unexplored deep-sea jellyfish. See how this bright red beauty glides smoothly underwater
This blood-red jellyfish with “tassels” lining the entire body, apparently belongs to the genus Poralia. So far, only one species has been described, Poralia rufescens, which has a bell-shaped body, 30 tentacles and lives in deep waters around the world.
The NOAA team spotted the as-yet-unnamed jellyfish during a deep-sea dive off Newport, Rhode Island on July 28. The Deep Discoverer remotely operated vehicle (ROV) plunged about 915 meters into the North Atlantic, filming all the creatures it passed.
“In general, we noticed many different animals, among which were ctenophores, eaters, crustaceans and ray-finned fishes. We also saw several undescribed families and potential new species, ”the researchers said.
This deep sea dive was part of the NOAA Stepping Stones North Atlantic Expedition, which the team conducted from June 30 to July 29. Specialists have made 25 dives at depths ranging from 250 to 4000 meters to observe the elusive deep-sea creatures lurking in the area.
As part of the same expedition, scientists discovered a yellow sea sponge lying next to a pink starfish at a depth of about 1,885 meters under water. Christopher Ma, a marine biologist at the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institution (USA), compared the pair to SpongeBob and Patrick:
SpongeBob and Patrick Star found at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean
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