Jellyfish: Rare giant phantom jellyfish stuns researchers
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A rare 'ghostly' jellyfish has been spotted off the coast of California.
The giant phantom jellyfish, also known as Stygiomedusa gigantea, was first discovered in 1899 and is hardly ever seen.
Since its discovery, scientists have only encountered the marine animal around 100 times.
The team at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), who made the deep sea sighting in November, have been observing the creatures' role in the water.
This giant phantom jellyfish was spotted nearly 1000 metres deep in Monterey Bay!
A rare discovery
Stygiomedusa gigantea have arms that can grow more than 10 metres long and scientists believe these are used to grab and trap prey. The bell of this deep-sea creature is more than a metre long!
MBARI have been exploring waters off the coast of California for decades and have logged thousands of dives, but their equipment has only seen this spectacular species 9 times.
Historically, trawl nets have been used to study deep-sea animals. These nets are effective to study fishes and squids, but jellyfish turn into a slimy goo when caught.
Scientists believe that challenges accessing deep water contribute towards few sightings of the giant jellyfish.