Basking in the breathtaking beauty of our inner space 🌟
This crimson jellyfish, Paraphyllina sp., uses the color red to camouflage itself in the deep sea. Because wavelengths of light in the red end of the spectrum are preferentially absorbed by seawater, red animals disappear into the darkness of the deep ocean. This enables them to ambush unsuspecting prey or avoid a hungry predator. The red pigment may also help to mask any bioluminescent prey that it has eaten.⠀ ⠀ Jellies in the class Scyphozoa include most of the species that people think of when hearing the word “jellyfish.” These "true jellies" are commonly studied at the sea surface, but those living deep in the water column are less well known. We are still just learning what species thrive in the dark depths of our ocean and how they live and reproduce. Exploration with ROVs allows us to see these enigmatic animals in their habitat and gives us a better understanding of their ecology.
