During a scientific expedition off the coast of Argentina, researchers have recorded stunning video of a very rare and giant jellyfish found in the deep sea. The creature is called the “giant phantom jellyfish,” and its scientific name is Stygiomedusa gigantea. According to the Schmidt Ocean Institute, the jellyfish was spotted about 820 feet below sea level and could be as long as a school bus. The statement issued by the organization states that this rare jellyfish does not have stinging tentacles, but rather uses its long arms to capture food, including plankton and small fish. According to experts, its structure and hunting method make it unique from other types of jellyfish. The discovery was made during an Argentine-led scientific expedition, in which scientists aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute research vessel R/V Falker studied marine life along Argentina’s continental coast, from the coast of Buenos Aires to near Tierra del Fuego. During this research, the team also documented the world’s largest known Bathelia candida coral reef and identified 28 potential new species, including sea urchins, sea snails, corals and other organisms. The researchers also saw the country’s first deep-water “whale fall,” a place where a whale’s body sank to the bottom of the ocean after its death, at a depth of more than 12,000 feet. Dr. Maria Emilia Bravo, the head of the expedition and a biologist at the University of Buenos Aires, said she did not expect to see such a wide biodiversity in the Argentine deep sea. According to him, it was incredible to see different types of life, ecosystems and their interrelationships in such a dynamic state, and this research has opened new windows on the country’s marine biological wealth, of which much remains to be discovered.
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