#thaliacea

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

Requesting sea salps!All salps!All members of the salpidae family!

Have you seen a salp (Family: Salpidae)?

I have now

Yes, in photos/videos

Yes, irl

I'm not sure

Voting ended onApr 28

The first image is of a common salp in its oozooid stage, the second is and aggregate of blastozooids, who are members of the species Soestia zonaria.

[animalids]

Twin-sailed salp (Thetys vagina)

Photo by Marlin Harms

[montereybayaquarium]

What if we told you that a group of gelatinous animals helps control the planet’s climate? Your disbelief would be salp-able! 

Salps are filter-feeding gelata related to pyrosomes that pack up plankton produce into poo pellets that precipitate into the deep, capturing carbon from the atmosphere and tucking it away in the depths of the hydrosphere.

Thanks to local photographers Michelle Manson and Joe Platko for the salp selfies! Joe's photo on top shows a solitary Pegea confoederata ready to birth the same kind of long chain that Michelle found in her lower photo! 

(The pink orbs are the salps’ guts, and these tubular animals are essentially a passing pasta strainer for plankton!)

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

can you do giant pyrosomes pls

Of course!

Have you seen the giant salp (Pyrostremma spinosum)?

I have now

Yes, in photos/videos

Yes, irl

I'm not sure

Voting ended onMay 7

Pictured are two different colonies of giant salps, each is made up of many animals working together.

[irkajavasdream]

Cyclosalpa bakeri 1a by Alexander Semenov https://flic.kr/p/a858Py

[astronomy-to-zoology]

Pyrosoma atlanticum

...is a species of colonial pyrosome (Pyrosomida) which can be found in temperate waters worldwide. Like most pyrosome species P. atlanticum colonies are pelagic drifters, feeding on a range of nutrients that they happen to drift into. Growth in P. atlanticum occurs by new rings of zooids being budded off around the edge of the colony. A pair of luminescent organs are present as well, when the colony is disturbed individual zooids will display rhythmic flashes of color. No neural pathway rounds between zooids, instead individual zooids respond to the light produced by other individuals, and even other colonies!

Classification

Animalia-Chordata-Tunicata-Thaliacea-Pyrosomida-Pyrosomidae-Pyrosoma-P. atlanticum

Image: Show_ryu

[astronomy-to-zoology]

Oozoid Salp (Salpidae)

Video: Sharif Mirshak

[astronomy-to-zoology]

Pyrosoma atlanticum

...is a species of pelagic colonial tunicate found in temperate waters worldwide. Like other pyrosomes P. atlanticum is a colony of simple grazers that feed on organic particles that run into the colony while they drift in the water column. Pyrosomes are planktonic and rely completely on the current to move, however colonies can cover great distances and some large colonies have been recorded moving up to 2,000 vertical feet daily. Like most pyrosomes this species is highly bioluminescent and colonies can produced brilliant light shows when stimulated.

Phylogeny

Animalia-Chordata-Tunicata-Thaliacea-Pyrosomida-Pyrosomidae-Pyrosoma-atlanticum

Image Source(s)