Massive 150-foot siphonophore was discovered during scientific expeditions diving near the submarine canyons near Ningaloo.
Video source: Schmidt Ocean Institute
SHOTLIST AND FULL STORY TO FOLLOW SHOWS: AT SEA (MARCH 16, 2020) (SCHMIDT OCEAN INSTITUTE - MUST ON SCREEN COURTESY SCHMIDT OCEAN INSTITUTE) (MUTE) 1.
SIPHONOPHORE FLOATING IN DEEP WATERS 2.
GELATINOUS STRING OF SIPHONOPHORE 3.
VARIOUS OF SIPHONOPHORE FLOATING IN A SPIRAL FORM STORY: A floating colony of tiny individual zooids cloned themselves thousands of times to form the largest ever recorded animal in the sea off Australia.
The giant Siphonophore Apolemia was found 631 meters off Western Australia on March 16.
Scientists at the Schmidt Ocean Institute said they were still working on measuring it accurately, but estimated its length at 46 meters (150ft).
The massive gelatinous string siphonophore was one of a number of unique creatures found living near the Ningaloo submarine canyons.
Chief Scientist Dr. Nerida Wilson said in a news release: "We suspected these deep sea areas would be diverse but we have been blown away by the significance of what we have seen," said in a news release.
Using underwater robot "ROV SuBastian", scientists from the Western Australian Museum, Curtin University, Geoscience Australia and Scripps Institution of Oceanography completed over 181 hours of deep sea exploration at depths of up to 4,500 meters.
(Production: Mariana Sandoval, Natalia Oriol)
Massive 150-foot siphonophore was discovered during scientific expeditions diving near the submarine canyons near Ningaloo. Video..
