Friday Deep-Sea Picture (10/12/07):

i-e00029466b2ab578fefd7604e819f01f-stella3f_350.jpg


Image credit: © 2003 MBARI. Stellamedusa ventana is a recently described species of jelly, the size of softball, from the deep sea. The bumps on the bell and arms are loaded with stinging cells (pneumatacysts) that can capture and hold on to prey up to 5 cm (2 inches) across.
i-56c1dd61c33613975559c2fa0e0ec642-stella-lab2_350.jpg


i-1750fbe3c7fc83079d1b613e6126f652-bumps1_350.jpg

More like this

During our second day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium last weekend, I finally got my much needed jelly time. I also had occasion to notice that their jelly exhibits have shrunk significantly since their height a few years ago, and that some of my favorite varieties are no longer on display. Booo!…
I like to photograph the faces of creatures that live in the sea. Here is a sampler of fish faces. All of these individuals belong to the Wrasse (Labridae) family. Most wrasses seem to have attractive markings on their faces, which show up well in close-up images like these. Shown above:…
Lucernaria janetae (Cnidaria: Staurozoa: Lucernariidae) Stauromedusae are not entirely uncommon, but not entirely common either. In fact "stalked jellyfish", as they are sometimes known, are very rare in the deep sea and only about 50 species are described (5). Only one other…
Even the clearest water has at least some particles suspended in it -- sand, silt, plankton, who knows what -- and most of the time, in most places, the water isn't really all that clear. In fact, during a plankton bloom or after a storm that has caused a lot of runoff, you might just as well…