The great red jellyfish - an unusual inhabitant of the Pacific - video

The sea depths hide many secrets that we are slowly learning about, one of which is certainly the great red jellyfish(Tiburonia granrojo).

-- Advertisement --

While surveying Gumdrop Seamount in Central California in 2003, scientists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) spotted an unusual and unusually large jellyfish. It resembled nothing they had known before and had unique features that distinguished it from similar creatures.

New, unknown species

The large jel lyfish measured about 1 meter in diameter and was blood crimson in color. Moreover, unlike jellyfish living near the surface of the ocean, it had no tentacles. Instead, thick, fleshy arms that more closely resembled squares dangled beneath the great bell.

Upon closer inspection of the encountered individual, MBARI scientists became certain that it was a new, unknown species. They also determined that this was not the first encounter with the creature, as it had eluded them five years earlier.

Detailed observations made by underwater vehicles helped researcher George Matsumoto and his colleagues in California and Japan describe this unusual creature – reads the MBARI homepage.

Big red jellyfish

Scientists have named the species Tiburonia granrojo in honor of the now decommissioned remote-controlled ROV “Tiburon.” The device played a key role in documenting this individual in its natural habitat.

In the following years, researchers spotted the jellyfish all over the Pacific Ocean. More individuals were recorded by researchers from the Gulf of California through Monterey Bay to Hawaii and Japan. The fact that such a large creature remained undiscovered for such a long time shows how little is known about the marine depths. Naturally, the question also arises – what else could be hiding in the ocean and waiting to be discovered?

The large red jellyfish (Tiburonia granrojo) reaches a maximum size of about 1 meter in diameter. Scientists have observed the creature at depths of 600 to 2,100 meters, throughout the North Pacific. So far, it has not been possible to determine what the jellyfish feeds on and exactly what its diet is.

So far, only 23 representatives of the species have been encountered, and only one small specimen (about 15 cm in size) has been acquired by the researchers for further study. Several video recordings have been captured with the help of remotely operated ROVs. The scientists obtained the first specimen of the species near the Japan Trench and placed it in the National Science Museum in Tokyo.

Unusual creatures from the deep

MBARI scientists are constantly studying the ocean and uncovering its secrets. During their work, the researchers have repeatedly come across unusual creatures from the deep, such as the giant Stygiomedusa gigantea or unusual fish Macropinna microstoma.