#marineanimal

#marineanimal

Deepwater Expedition Captures This Graceful Sea Cucumber Swimming 1.9 Miles Deep Under the OceanIn 2016, during a deepwater exploration of the seabed around the Mariana Trench using a remotely operated vehicle, researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration captured this amazing footage.It's a sea cucumber (Enypniastes), which moves about the ocean through the mesmerizing undulation of their body and anterior sail-like veil. Sea cucumbers  are relatively small - they're about 5 to 9 inches in length, have bulbous bodies and some species are even bioluminescent.NOAA Ocean Exploration tweeted the video clip, saying that the footage was taken while exploring a volcanic caldera at 1.9 miles deep (3,000 meters) under the ocean in the Southern Marianas.#seacucumber #marineanimal #NOAA #deepwaterexploration #MarianaTrench #Marianas

Don't Mind This Giant Sea Spider Walking Around Sunken Whale Carcasses on the Ocean FloorThis strange creature gently roaming the sea floor thousands of feet under the surface of the ocean is a giant sea spider (Colossendeissp.) It's called "giant" because it's larger than a dinner plate and can grow up to 20 inches (50 cm) wide. Oh, and it's called a "sea spider" because it is actually related to the spiders we find on land.Sea spider, or pycnogonids, come in a variety of sizes and appearance. Unlike land spiders that spin webs to trap their prey, sea spiders use a tube-like proboscis to "slurp" up its food. They're "suctorial" predators, meaning that most sea spider species feed by sucking the bodily fluids out of their prey (often anemones).Researchers from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute captured an image of this brilliant red sea spider walking around when they explored an area around a sunken whale carcasses on the deep seafloor.Image: MBARI#seaspider #marineanimal #DeepSeaExploration #MBARI