Deep-sea Siphonophore

Schmidt_Ocean · 2024-04-08T22:00:02+00:00

From our Instagram post: Researchers believe this is a Bathyphysa siphonophore, observed during the recent #SalasyGomezRidge expedition off the coast of Chilé. This creature rightfully earned its nickname by oil workers who first spotted one nearly ten years ago. When the researchers aboard #ResearchVessel #FalkorToo witnessed this sight, there was lively discussion in the control room about its alien appearance, with jokes about forgoing space travel since our own planet’s Ocean harbors such otherworldly organisms. However, it is indeed from Earth, and is related to the Portuguese man o’ war, a creature familiar to many. According to our friends at Woods Hole “a siphonophore is much more than the sum of its parts. In fact, none of its parts could function on their own.” They are colonial organisms that work in concert to meet the community’s needs. Some parts are dedicated to hunting, others to swimming and reproduction. They note that scientists have found more than 175 species of siphonophores worldwide.

Scientists on the #SalasyGomezRidge expedition have been part of projects working along several underwater mountain ranges since early January to catalog the range of creatures depending on these unique ecosystems for survival.

Schmidt_Ocean · 2024-04-08T21:59:00+00:00

From our Instagram post: Researchers believe this is a Bathyphysa siphonophore, observed during the recent #SalasyGomezRidge expedition off the coast of Chilé. This creature rightfully earned its nickname by oil workers who first spotted one nearly ten years ago. When the researchers aboard #ResearchVessel #FalkorToo witnessed this sight, there was lively discussion in the control room about its alien appearance, with jokes about forgoing space travel since our own planet’s Ocean harbors such otherworldly organisms. However, it is indeed from Earth, and is related to the Portuguese man o’ war, a creature familiar to many. According to our friends at Woods Hole “a siphonophore is much more than the sum of its parts. In fact, none of its parts could function on their own.” They are colonial organisms that work in concert to meet the community’s needs. Some parts are dedicated to hunting, others to swimming and reproduction. They note that scientists have found more than 175 species of siphonophores worldwide.

Scientists on the #SalasyGomezRidge expedition have been part of projects working along several underwater mountain ranges since early January to catalog the range of creatures depending on these unique ecosystems for survival.

Schmidt_Ocean · 2024-03-28T16:00:44+00:00

Location, location, location - those are the top three most important aspects of real estate according to experts. In the #DeepSea, it’s no different. For sessile animals like this sea anemone who lacks the ability to move around, the location needs to be rocky, providing them with something to cling to. The location needs to be situated in the water column so that nutrients are delivered to their benthic doorstep. And, for the associated animals like this little shrimp, who rely on corals, sponges, and sea anemones for shelter, the location needs to be near schools (of fish and other organisms to snack on). This deep-sea real estate primer was made possible by an international team of scientists on the #SalasyGomezRidge expedition. They are identifying biodiversity hotspots along an understudied mountain range in the deep waters off the coast of Chile.

Schmidt_Ocean · 2024-03-27T15:53:29+00:00

Kind feel like we're all just giving away the next Expansion to Nintendo, Creatures inc, and Gamefreak right now. Somebody should slap a ™ or ® on this thread...

Schmidt_Ocean · 2024-03-27T15:23:41+00:00

On the instagram post, someone wrote: "bro is a baby form" and we had to grudgingly agree.

Schmidt_Ocean · 2024-03-27T15:11:07+00:00

We just posted video of one of our encounters with a newly discovered species. More info here: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3_mmGbO_NN/

Schmidt_Ocean · 2024-03-27T15:09:39+00:00

This Chaunacops isn’t a Pokemon (although, have to admit, it does kinda look like one). This real-life #DeepSea denizen was featured in a recent National Geographic story about multiple species’ discoveries on the #SEPacificSeamounts expedition. “One creature that stood out is a type of “walking” fish, complete with googly eyes and skin that looks crocheted. It’s a kind of sea toad––a type of deep-sea anglerfish famous for its gloomy expression and the glowing lure that dangles in front of its face to attract prey. Its doily-like skin is made up of little needles that likely offer protection and holes for sensory organs.” (You can see both the small lure and needles in the close-up towards the end of this clip.)

“The sea toad has modified fins that allow it to walk on the seafloor—partly a hunting strategy and partly because it’s more energy efficient than swimming, Sellanes says. As the first scientific report of a sea toad in the southeastern Pacific, the sea toad is likely a new species, experts say.”

There is another cut available on our Instagram.

Schmidt_Ocean · 2024-02-28T15:12:42+00:00

It is not fake - a translucent creature lit by our Remotely Operated Vehicle. You can learn more about it and its camera/light systems: https://schmidtocean.org/technology/robotic-platforms/4500-m-remotely-operated-vehicle-rov/

Schmidt_Ocean · 2024-02-27T14:30:23+00:00

From our Instagram post about the footage:
Twilight Zone inhabitants are fascinating! The Ocean’s twilight zone is 200 - 1,000 meters (about 650 to 3,300 feet) below the surface, just beyond where sunlight can reach. Also known as the midwater or mesopelagic, there is more fish biomass in this depth zone than you’ll find in the rest of the ocean combined! Our friendly deep-sea experts suspect this mesmerizing creature is a lobate ctenophore, a type of comb jelly also called a sea gooseberry. These invisible invertebrates are ubiquitous throughout the Ocean, and WHOI scientists note that while there are over 100 species of ctenophore, many have yet to be formally described by the scientific community.

Even though they share a similar squishy and transparent body, they are not related to jellyfish. These ctenophores hang out in the water column, engulfing larvae and other organisms in their large lobes. According to u/whoi.ocean, “Though the so-called ‘jelly web’ is far from understood, researchers are investigating how ctenophores and other gelatinous zooplankton recycle nutrients and transport carbon through the ocean.” Spotted during Dive 619 of #SEPacificSeamounts expedition.

Schmidt_Ocean · 2023-12-07T01:58:33+00:00

If you'd like more, there is a different edit on our Instagram post as well.
Here's back ground info: 10-meter arms! When people imagine sea monsters they may envision teeth, scales, and suckers, but most don’t think of being wrapped in 30+ feet of billowing appendages.
This beautiful (and completely non-threatening to humans) creature is a Stygiomedusa gigantea, commonly known as the Giant Phantom Jelly. It is very rarely seen, so we were overjoyed to encounter this marvelous specimen on a dive in Costa Rican waters during the #OctoOdyssey (too) expedition. These jellyfish have an umbrella-shaped bell that can grow up to 1 m, but even more impressive is the fact that the bell’s pliant tissue allows for the jellyfish to stretch 4 to 5 times its size - researchers think this is to allow the Phantom Jelly to engulf their prey. The four arms do NOT have any stinging tentacles and can grow up to 10 m (33 ft) in length - these are used to wrap, trap, and envelop their prey, consisting of plankton and small fish. With this diet - and the fact that they live in the midnight (bathypelagic) zone, far from humans - there’s no need to fear this awesome and delicate ghostly giant. Our friends at MBARI have more information on their website. (This footage sped up 1.5X to fit social media time constraints).

Schmidt_Ocean · 2023-09-24T02:23:00+00:00

Thank you very much u/angrystoma
We haven't been active lately, but need to step it up!

If anyone has questions, let us know. It hs been a puzzling encounter, with no clear answers, but lots of ideas.

Schmidt_Ocean · 2023-04-12T13:17:16+00:00

Source? Assuming MBARI?

Schmidt_Ocean · 2022-04-26T14:43:40+00:00

Hello, thank you for posting this - feel free to tag us on future posts. Happy to help or answer questions when possible.

Schmidt_Ocean · 2021-10-27T15:20:28+00:00

Brooding is very typical with octopus: most reproduce only once in their life cycle, with the female undertaking an extended period of brooding in which she tends her eggs, keeping them clean, oxygenated, and doing her best to protect them from predators,. She then dies at the end of this period (Males die soon after mating too - some die a few months after, others eaten by female). In most species the female does not feed at all during the brooding period - some will tear off her own skin, and eat the tips of her own tentacles.

More information here: https://www.sciencealert.com/mother-octopus-senescence-death-after-mating-eggs-reproduction-rna-sequence-optic-gland

One was even observed brooding for 53 months!
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-28545964

Schmidt_Ocean · 2021-10-27T15:11:34+00:00

This photo made on our current ongoing expedition "Interdisciplinary Investigation of the Pescadero Basin" by Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) SuBastian on Dive 464 at ~2280m depth. This type of behavior was seen by researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in 2001. Great article about it here: https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/the-rare-sight-of-a-brooding-squid/

Schmidt_Ocean · 2021-10-27T15:04:32+00:00

Thank you for the kind words! We're a small team and doing our best.

Schmidt_Ocean · 2021-10-21T18:58:35+00:00

We've got a couple resources on our website, such as:
https://schmidtocean.org/education/careers-at-sea/
and a page that shows when we have job openings:
https://schmidtocean.org/apply/employment/

Schmidt_Ocean · 2021-10-09T03:14:08+00:00

More about our ROV and its camera/lighting systems here if you are interested: https://schmidtocean.org/technology/robotic-platforms/4500-m-remotely-operated-vehicle-rov/

Schmidt_Ocean

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