Science
Related: About this forumDeep Sea Explorers Stumble Upon A Creature They Can Hardly Believe Is Real
While theres no shortage of weird and wacky ideas in science fiction about what creatures from other planets might look like, few are quite as remarkable as those that can actually be found right here on Earth.
Recently, a team from the Nautilus Live expedition piloting a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) happened upon one of the most fascinating-looking lifeforms in the world -- this rare, purple siphonophore roving through the oceans depths. Even the experienced deep sea explorers, well-acquainted with the marine animals, had a hard time accepting that what they were seeing was really real.
Amazingly, although this appears to be a single jellyfish-like animal, it is in fact a roving colony made up of thousands of individual organisms, called zooids, each contributing to the whole. But more than just its otherworldly shape, this specimen's purple coloring is said to be rather unusual as well.
Deep Sea News writer R.R. Helm calls it a shocking shade, remarking that this footage truly stands out:
To me, the best part of science is stuff like this: seeing something that completely takes my breath away. Even after studying animals like this for the last five years, this video has me in awe. The animal captured in this footage, simply put, is stunning.
more
https://www.thedodo.com/deep-sea-explorers-stumble-upo-619829084.html
Tuesday Afternoon
(56,912 posts)donco
(1,548 posts)purple crawdad got himself a chainsaw blade in this mouth.
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)Inkfreak
(1,695 posts)My name is Inigo Montoya!
You killed my father!
Prepare to die!
Treant
(1,968 posts)awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)catbyte
(34,403 posts)awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)I don't watch much TV, but usually am in the living room reading. I thought it sounded familiar.
tclambert
(11,087 posts)mountain grammy
(26,625 posts)truebluegreen
(9,033 posts)That's crazy wild...
Strat0
(34 posts)awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)BlueJazz
(25,348 posts)...or how do you tune a tuna?
dreamnightwind
(4,775 posts)BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)And it's a colony? I mean, they're a colony?
hunter
(38,317 posts)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siphonophorae
A web site devoted to them: http://www.siphonophores.org
Global Diversity and Review of Siphonophorae (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa):
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0087737
TygrBright
(20,762 posts)greiner3
(5,214 posts)With so many living and fossilized extinct species to choose from, we are 'treated' to such blandish movie monsters; but they are getting better.