Rare Deep-Sea Giant Phantom Jellyfish Sighting Is Recorded on Video
Nytimes reports that in late December researchers descending a remotely operated vehicle off Argentina encountered a jellyfish on screen at roughly 800 feet that proved to be a giant phantom jelly. The control room fell silent as the team documented the ethereal creature and its long arms, which made maneuvering the ROV difficult.
First collected in 1899 and recognized as a species about 60 years later, giant phantom jellies were historically known mostly from dead specimens in trawling nets. Remote-operated vehicles have enabled live sightings; during the last century phantom jellies have been documented about 100 times and can have bells more than three feet across and arms up to 30 feet long.
The jellies catch plankton and small fish with long, curtain-like arms and often maintain symbiotic relationships with fish that shelter among their bells or arms.
Argentina