Close-up of the strange jellyfish that is bright red like blood

04/24/2022 13:48 GMT+7

Researchers from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute have released the first close-up image of a strange jellyfish that lives in sunless deep water in Monterey Bay, California, USA.

First time recording a close-up picture of a blood-red jellyfish

The jellyfish is about 13cm in diameter, with many tentacles, estimated to have between 26 and 39. According to experts, this is a jellyfish of the genus Atolla. After years of research, scientists have described a very large species of Atolla.

They named the new jellyfish Atolla reynoldsi in honor of the first volunteer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, noting the 4.3 million hours of work he and others contributed to the aquarium. during the past 38 years.

Like 10 other species of the genus Atolla, the jellyfish has a small bell, a deep groove running around the bell, separating the domed bell from the wide margin containing many rings and fringes. The sides of the bell resemble a domed head with a red crown.

Jellyfish use extended appendages to capture prey, usually mollusks and other small creatures. They usually live in deep water without sunlight, from 1,000 to 4,000 meters.

However, unlike all other crown jellyfish, Atolla reynoldsi lacks the single, long, thin tentacles that run down the back of the body, usually 6 times the diameter of the bell.

Because this jellyfish lives in a low-light environment, it is difficult for researchers to detect.

“The newly discovered jellyfish are very rare and remarkable. The discovery confirms that there are many mysteries under the ocean that humans can’t find,” said George Matsumoto, an oceanographer and lead author of the study. “Every time we dive into the deep sea off the coast of Monterey Bay, we learn something new.”

Previously, by using remote-controlled submarines, researchers discovered ghost jellyfish with mouth arms more than 10 meters long and bell-shaped bodies more than one meter wide, living in the deep sea. This is the largest jellyfish on the planet, occurring in the deepest seas in all oceans in the world except the Arctic.

Hoang Dung (translation summary)