The first ever film captures a rare jellyfish with a red disc-shaped body, nearly 2,300 feet below sea level in the Atlantic Ocean.
The genus Poralia includes jellyfish with bell-shaped tops, up to 30 tentacles, and the ‘undescribed’ species. It is one of the most fragile species of jellyfish.
This jellyfish was one of many potentially unnamed/unknown animals that were discovered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Ocean Exploration, which conducted a deep-sea diving dive on July 28.
Photographs of hydrozoans were also taken by biologists. These are closely related to coral and jellyfish, and filter feeders that produce a mucushouse and a juvenile Rattail fish.
The 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones expedition was conducted from June 30 to July 29. It revealed the new jellyfish, as well as other undiscovered creatures.
The expedition traveled along the US East Coast in search of marine life never before seen. It may be hiding hundreds to thousands of feet beneath the ocean’s surface.
NOAA researchers used a remotely controlled vehicle (ROV), to dive at depths of 820 feet to 13,124 feet.
The ROV measures 10 feet in length, 6.5 feet wide, and 8.5 feet high.
‘The data collected during a total of 25 planned ROV dives along with collected mapping data will enable scientists and managers to build a better understanding of the diversity and distribution of deepwater habitats in this region, allowing for informed resource management decisions,’ NOAA shared in a statement.
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Quinn Girasek was an intern and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Hollings Scholar at the NOAA Ocean Exploration who spotted the red jellyfish.
She explained that she was a Hollings intern and conducts research to improve our understanding of ocean habitats previously unknown.
“My summer project focuses on the abundance and diversity of organisms in the mesopelagic (or twilight) zone 656 to 3281 feet deep in the Atlantic Ocean around Gulf Stream. It also includes the deep scattering layer.