Back in 2015, researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) spotted three of these weird sea creatures in the underwater canyons of Puerto Rico, near the seabed of roughly 13,000 feet (over 3,960 meters).
Their bodies are small — about the size of a golf tee (just over 2 inches, or 6 centimeters, long) — but they're vibrant; when the creatures move and pulse, rows of tiny hair-like cilia refract light into a prism of shining colors.
Recently, the researchers identified these blobs as a new species of carnivorous comb jellies, with the scientific name Duobrachium sparksae.
While their wee bodies and shimmering cilia are traits commonly shared among the 100-plus known ctenophore species, the Puerto Rican party blobs still represent an exciting first in marine biology. According to the researchers, this is the first underwater species NOAA researchers have ever described from pictures alone; the team had no access to physical samples for their new study.
Learn more about them over at Live Science.
Nature sure is weird.
(Image Credit: NOAA/ Live Science)
Newest 1 Comment
woah
Abusive comment hidden.
(Show it anyway.)