When scientists from the exploration vessel called Nautilus began filming this creature, they were having trouble containing themselves. Relatively far in the Pacific Ocean, at a depth of nearly 2,500 feet, their remote control vehicle discovered one of the most ghostly creatures they have ever seen.
At the very beginning, as they observed this mysterious entity, scientists asked themselves several questions: What is it? What are we looking at? What is that red structure inside?… Although they were discussing the creature with enthusiasm, the organism suddenly decided to totally transform. ” I have the impression that she changed because we were looking at her, ” said one of the scientists.
It was with great curiosity that the team of researchers finally decided on an answer: the creature that metamorphosed in front of them was a deep-sea jellyfish, most likely of the genus Deepstaria, a mysterious relative of D. enigmatica (a species observed only a few times to date). In addition, it is important to note that the animal had a passenger in it.
The incredible video, published by the Nautilus expedition, gives us a glimpse of one of the most mysterious creatures of the depths of the ocean, and a glance of the bright red crustacean it contained.
Known as isopods, these red crustaceans are related to deep sea bugs and have already been found inside several Deepstarias. The exact relationship between these two creatures is currently unknown, but scientists believe the isopod might benefit from feeding on the jelly, or jellyfish food. It is also probably a good place to hide from predators. Although isopods are well known, this is not the case with Deepstarias. At the present time, we are not awfully familiar with these creatures, nor how they deal with the isopods literally inhabiting them.
With so few instances, we don’t know what these jellyfish actually eat, how they feed, how they reproduce, and even how deep in the ocean they live and can survive.
Unlike other jellyfish, Deepstaria does not have tentacles. Scientists believe these creatures filter food by opening and closing their bag-shaped bells to trap their prey. How they digest their prey, or how they distribute it to the rest of their body, remains to be determined, although there are currently several theories.
“ The geometric mesh pattern is a complex network of channels that brings food back to the top of the bell, ” says one of the Nautilus researchers. “ Since jellyfish can grow to a large size when inflated, these channels help distribute nutrients throughout its body,” the researchers add.
