Jul 29, 2024
Starting the week off with a little medusa magic. ✨
These little red jellies (Benthocodon pedunculata) were captured frolicking in Monterey Bay at 440 meters (1,444 feet). We often see these tiny treasures bobbing just above the deep seafloor like little red UFOs. There are lots of little red jellies in the midnight zone, so many that it’s often difficult for researchers to tell them apart. MBARI scientists have spent years collecting and analyzing data to distinguish these species from one another based on their shape and form. In 2020, they developed a key to help scientists tell these look-alike species apart through their physical differences, depth distribution, and behavior.
