Posted on 06/15/2022 2:19:07 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The deep-sea creature surprised scientists.
Resembling an alien shopping bag with guts made of glowing Cheetos, a bizarre creature took center stage in new footage captured by a remotely operated vehicle deep in the Pacific Ocean.
Gliding through the sea at a depth of some 7,221 feet (2,201 meters), the ocean weirdo — actually an unknown species of sea cucumber — had its innards on display in the new clip, taken in March by an ROV exploring part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument southeast of Honolulu. The ROV was gliding over an unexplored seamount at the Kingman Reef and Palmyra Atoll when operators spotted the creature, said Megan Cook, the director of education and outreach at The Ocean Exploration Trust's Nautilus Live.
"These are always so exciting and spectacular to see because — just, what an incredible animal," Cook told Live Science.
Sea cucumbers, or holothurians, are a diverse group, with many species distributed across the Central Pacific, Cook said. The one spotted by the ROV linked to the research vessel E/V Nautilus crew belongs to a family called Elpidiidae, she said. These deep-sea cucumbers are scavengers that feed on marine snow, a shower of skin cells, poop and bits of dead animals that filters down to the ocean floor.
Many species in the Elpidiidae family have appendages that look like fins or sails that let them swim for short distances. This is a useful adaptation that allows the sea cucumbers to cover more ground and search for new grazing spots, Cook said.
To eat, the animal oozes across the seafloor, using its sticky tentacles — the leaf- or star-shaped red fringe around its mouth — to pick up a mix of sand and organic material, which it then brings to its mouth.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
These deep-sea cucumbers are scavengers that feed on marine snow, a shower of skin cells, poop and bits of dead animals that filters down to the ocean floor.
Much like bottom feeding democrats...
It can’t fool anyone you can see right through it
No need to wonder if there are alien species out in the galaxy. There are alien species right here on Earth when you look in the more inhospitable regions; at least inhospitable to humans.
Ah, but these aliens don’t have iPhones, not even Obama phones.
Well there’s a headline you certainly don’t see every day. Lol
And just a bit smarter, too.
PATRICK!
It looks ready to latch onto your face and lay eggs.
Wait. How do they know what an alien shopping bag looks like?
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