MBARI does it again! The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute gives us an up-close look at the tiny jellyfish <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossota_millsae">Crossota millsae</a>, here nicknamed the psychedelic jelly. Its bioluminescence highlights its anatomical structures, but also makes us want a poster of it to put in our bedrooms.

This jelly resides in the midnight zone, more than 1000 meters (3300 feet) below the ocean's surface. That explains why it's bioluminescent, but why all the colors? Maybe it's a mating thing. They are kind of small, so they need to stand out to their peers. -via <a href="https://laughingsquid.com/psychedelic-jellyfish/">Laughing Squid</a>&nbsp;#jelly #jellyfish #MBARI

The Psychedelic Jelly

This strange creature gently roaming the sea floor thousands of feet under the surface of the ocean is a giant sea spider (Colossendeis&nbsp;sp.) 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

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