Check out this beautiful *giant* siphonophore Apolemia recorded on #NingalooCanyons expedition. It seems likely that this specimen is the largest ever recorded, and in strange UFO-like feeding posture. Thanks @Caseywdunn for info @wamuseum @GeoscienceAus @CurtinUni @Scripps_Ocean pic.twitter.com/QirkIWDu6S
— Schmidt Ocean (@SchmidtOcean) April 6, 2020
It looks more like a piece of abstract art than marine life, but according to scientists, it’s a giant Apolemia siphonophore.
Logan Mock-Bunting, a spokesperson for the Schmidt Ocean Institute, told Newsweek that the specimen probably measures around 390 feet. If that’s the case, it would be the largest creature of its kind.
Siphonophores are invertebrates, similar to jellyfish, that live in the deep sea. They’re technically large colonies of separate bodies strung together in chains up to 100 feet long. The specimen spotted was hunting, waiting for prey like fish or crustaceans to touch one of its many dangling stinging cells. 