#pnms

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"Elasmobranches of Palau: Lanternshark and Deepwater Stingray

The elasmobranches came out to play while we were diving ROV Hercules approximately 75 nm southeast of Merir Island on the (currently unnamed) shallowest seamount so far identified within the Palau National Marine Sanctuary. Lanternsharks, like the juvenile seen here, are bioluminescent in a special pattern called aposematic bioluminescence. Similar to how birds or butterflies use coloration as a deterrent signal to predators, scientists speculate that this glowing, especially featuring the large spines around the animal's body, helps them avoid predators. The other elasmobranch spotted in this highlight video is a deepwater stingray (Plesiobatis) at around 695 meters deep. Watch as the Corps of Exploration enjoy following this pancake-shaped marine predator that preys upon crustaceans, cephalopods, and bony fishes. " - nautiluslive.org

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"First nautiloids spotted from E/V Nautilus on last dive of season!

The last ROV Hercules dive of 2024 certainly was the grand finale of the season: our Corps of Exploration witnessed four Palau nautilus individuals (Nautilus belauensis) in Palau’s German Channel! These are the first sightings of nautiloids — the most primitive cephalopods — from E/V Nautilus after 1000+ ROV dives over the last 15 years of operations. This marine mollusk found in the Indo-Pacific is rarely photographed- let alone caught on video -and 2024’s expeditions represent the first of OET’s adventures within the nautilus’s expected distribution range." - nautiluslive.org

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"Meet the Huge “Sea Elephant” Heteropod in Palau’s Ocean

While diving on an Unnamed Seamount approximately 30 nm north of Tobi Island within the Palau National Marine Sanctuary, our Corps of Exploration came across something truly unique: a giant heteropod (aka Pterotracheoidea). This predatory gastropod has blue eyes and a “snout” like proboscis that allows it to suck up snails- giving it the nickname “sea elephant.” Can you spot its tiny shell on the bottom and the modified foot (visible as a dark-edged undulating fin) it uses to move? 

At more than 30 cm long (~11.5 inches) this animal is massive compared to it's coin-sized marine snail cousins. A totally pelagic creature, heteropods have evolved a transparent body lined with special organs (statotcysts) to help understand it's orientation in a world with no reference light above or seabed below. As a surprise to our team, this individual seems to be swimming upside down as it drifted in from it's open ocean home to the top of this seamount at around 700 m (2,300 ft) deep. This sighting feels like a trip back in time to a time of ancient ocean animals." - nautiluslive.org

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"Exceptional Footage of Chaunacops and Dumbo Octopus in Palau

While diving on an Unnamed Seamount West of Babeldaob near the Palau National Marine Sanctuary, ROV Hercules happened upon two gorgeous deep sea creatures. Shoutout to our operations team for these amazing shots of fan-favorite critters. 

We start with what might be our best Chaunacops footage yet with clear views of this anglerfish’s famous lure. Also called the frogfish or coffinfish, we often spot Chaunacops sp., but never with quite this much detail. Next is an extra-leggy dumbo octopus (Cirroteuthis)- a deep sea cephalopod known for its adorable ear-like fins. Both of these benthic animals rewarded our Corps of Exploration by hanging around long enough to allow us to gather great video footage and remind us of the beauty and biodiversity of Palau’s waters." - nautiluslive.org

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"Bright Red Velvet Whalefish in Palau

Our Corps of Exploration spotted this bright red velvet whalefish (Barbourisia rufa) while exploring an unnamed ridge located roughly 30 nm southeast of Angaur, and just inside the boundaries of the Palau National Marine Sanctuary. This deep-sea fish is found around the world but especially in the Pacific Ocean. It’s named for its resemblance to a whale: small pectoral and pelvic fins, and dorsal and anal fins set far back. Scientists don’t know much about this benthic species but suspect they feed on crustaceans." - nautiluslive.org

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"Extraordinarily Dense Deep Sea Diversity in Palau’s Waters

It’s almost hard to believe that only ten days of exploration left us with so much amazing deep sea footage of a wide diversity of life in the Palau National Marine Sanctuary. From dumbo octopus to unique invertebrates to diverse coral and sponge gardens, enjoy this compilation video from the first leg of Lebuu’s Voyage and see how many critters you can spot in these areas of dense deep-sea biodiversity. 

Did you see the massive coral and sponge assortments in various colors covered in associates like squat lobsters, brittle stars, and shrimp or the super cute “Oreo” fish named after their Latin family name Oreosomatidae? How about the not one, but TWO, sightings of the fan-favorite dumbo octopus? There’s also a Tomopteridae polychaete worm compared lovingly to an “alien” by our Corps of Exploration and a blob of mucus that is more important than you may think to marine filter-feeders. 

Get up close and personal with a filter-feeding feather star and be wowed by a ultra-black rattail fish. Keep watching for spiky pencil sea urchins, Midas-touch shiny golden gooseneck barnacles, and spiny king crabs covered in tiny barnacles. Exploring these never-before-seen areas is important for scientists who want to understand ecosystem dynamics throughout the water column here in Palau." - nautiluslive.org

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"Squishy, Floaty, and Swimmy: Creatures of Palau’s Deep Ocean

While diving on a newly mapped ancient unnamed seamount along the eastern edge of Palau National Marine Sanctuary, our Corps of Exploration encountered many animals that call the slopes their home. Learn about cnidarians, peek at a blind lobster Homeryon asper from a living fossil lineage of crustaceans nestled within a bamboo coral colony, and encounter a gorgeous purple “headless chicken monster,” aka an Enypniastes swimming sea cucumber. You’ll also spot two adorable anglerfish — Coelophrys sp. batfish —  hovering above the seafloor, a behavior uncommon to our scientists. From gelatinous jellyfish to a “what is that?” predatory tunicate lovingly compared to a hamburger bun, get up-close-and-personal with the marine life of Palau’s deep waters for a crash course in deep sea marine biology. This seamount sits between the Yap and Palau trenches making it potentially unique from other surrounding features." - nautiluslive.org