#rov

#rov

Marine Scientist Found Real Life SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star in the Atlantic OceanMarine scientist Christopher Mah of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shared this humorous picture of what a real-life SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star would look like.Mah posted the picture of a Hertwigia (sponge) and Chondraster (sea star) on Twitter. The duo were found on the side of the Retriever seamount in the Atlantic Ocean about 200 miles (320 km) east of New York City, by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) on the NOAA's Okeanos Explorer ship."I normally avoid these refs ... but WOW. REAL LIFE SpongeBob and Patrick!" Mah wrote on his tweet.  Talking to Insider, Mah added "I thought it would be funny to make the comparison, which for once was actually kind of comparable to the iconic images/colors of the cartoon characters. As a biologist who specializes in sea stars, most depictions of Patrick and SpongeBob are incorrect."Indeed, SpongeBob probably shouldn't be sitting so calmly next to Patrick as sea stars are actually carnivores that eat sponges.No words on whether they've found the other residents of Bikini Bottom on this trip.#SpongeBob #SpongeBobSquarePants #PatrickStar #seasponge #seastar #marinebiology #NOAA #AtlanticOcean #NewYorkCity #ROV #OkeanosExplorerRelated:3D Printed SpongeBob SquarePants Sponge Holder

Glass Octopus and Other Strange Marine Creatures Captured on Camera During a Scientific Deep-Sea DiveScientists aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel Falkor went on a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dive in the Phoenix Islands Archipelago in the Pacific Ocean and found this beauty: a glass octopus.The glass octopus or Vitreledonella richardi is a rare species of octopus that gets its name from its ability to being almost completely transparent. The only parts that aren't transparent are its optic nerve, eyeballs and digestive tract. It is one of the least studied octopus, with most specimens known to scientists being found in the stomachs of predators.The yellow dots in the glass octopus' skin between its arms are chromatophores, or pigmented organs that let the octopus change colors for camouflage.via Schmidt Ocean