Biologists spotted a deep sea critter that just devoured a hefty meal.
The Monterey Bay Aquatic Research Institute (MBARI) recently tweeted deep sea archival footage of a jellyfish with its stomach filled with food. Scientists say the prey would have most likely been krill, which are tiny shrimp-like creatures with hard shells. As jellies are transparent, it’s pretty common to see them with something in their stomach, said Steven Haddock, a marine biologist at MBARI who observed this creature in June 2018 during a dive in Monterey Bay.
“Whether the prey is recognizable is another story,” he told Mashable.
Jellies can be spotted in both shallow and deep waters. The Halitrephes jelly captured in this footage drifts in the dark oceans. Using a submarine robot, scientists captured the footage at a depth of 1,300 feet. These jellies are typically seen during summer in the Monterey Bay on the California coastline, the research institute said.
It might be difficult to gauge in the video, but the Halitrephes jellies are quite small. The species belong to a group of tiny jellyfish called hydromedusa, which range from millimeters to centimeters in size. “The Halitrephes jelly’s bell can reach up to 10 centimeters (four inches) wide,” MBARI explained.
The Halitrephes jelly is known by a different name in the internet world: “the firework jellyfish.” It takes a spectacular form when it distributes nutrients through its body. Their transparent tentacles begin to glow with vibrant hues like an exploding firework, as seen in this video clip from the Nautilus Ocean Exploration Trust.
That said, jellyfishes whose bodies are made up of 95 percent water, can camouflage quite well in the oceans from the sight of predators. “One common adaptation of deep sea drifting animals is transparency, which allows them to hide where there is nothing to hide behind,” Haddock told Mashable.
“One common adaptation of deep sea drifting animals is transparency, which allows them to hide where there is nothing to hide behind.”
These organisms have interesting defense and survival mechanisms, too. Their tentacles are loaded with small stingers that discharge venom when they brush against prey or any other objects. And they can thrive under extreme conditions such as low oxygen levels and high acid content.
The deep sea remains largely mysterious. There are some 2,000 known species of jellyfish, and many more are believed undiscovered in the vast ocean depths.