{"id":483322,"date":"2026-02-18T16:08:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T16:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/483322\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T16:08:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T16:08:14","slug":"theyre-older-than-dinosaurs-look-a-bit-like-aliens-and-eat-almost-anything-they-can-find-and-scientists-just-found-them-in-colombian-waters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/483322\/","title":{"rendered":"They’re older than dinosaurs, look a bit like aliens and eat almost anything they can find \u2013 and scientists just found them in Colombian waters"},"content":{"rendered":"

Researchers have documented several new types of plankton called comb jellies in the Colombian Caribbean and Pacific, including six species never recorded in Colombian waters before.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ctenophores<\/a>\u00a0(comb jellies) are ancient creatures that were on the planet long before the\u00a0dinosaurs<\/a>. Despite their name, they aren\u2019t related to\u00a0jellyfish<\/a>. Found in oceans\u00a0all over the world<\/a>, these gelatinous creatures can be surprisingly pretty \u2013 some species seem to shimmer with rainbow patterns that pulse across their bodies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

These twinkling colours are created by eight rows of hair-like appendages called cilia, which throb back and forth to help them move through the water. This causes refraction of the light, which creates the appearance of a kaleidoscope dancing across their bodies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Comb jellies are incredibly delicate, which makes them very difficult to study.\u00a0\u201cThese fragile organisms dissolve when collected in nets, so they can only be studied through images,\u201d says\u00a0Juan Mayorga<\/a>, a\u00a0National Geographic Pristine Seas marine scientist and one of the authors of the\u00a0new study<\/a>\u00a0documenting 15 ctenophores in Colombian waters.<\/p>\n

This hypnotic video shows a type of comb jelly known as Beroe forskalii floating through the water. Credit: National Geographic Pristine Seas<\/p>\n

Some of the data was collected from a 2022 Pristine Seas expedition while others were gathered by citizen scientists.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe results fill a historical information gap on a key group of gelatinous plankton and demonstrate the value of non-invasive methodologies and explorations in remote areas to strengthen knowledge of marine biodiversity,\u201d\u00a0says\u00a0Cristina Cede\u00f1o-Posso<\/a>, the study\u2019s lead author and a researcher at INVEMAR.<\/p>\n

Because they couldn\u2019t collect such fragile specimens, the research team observed them in the water and took an array of gorgeous photos. The pictures show the diversity of these ancient animals: some look like alien spaceships, others resemble little water balloons and some trail through the water like shining ribbons.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This footage shows another comb jelly: Cestum veneris. Credit: National Geographic Pristine Seas.<\/p>\n

Although they might look strange to us, comb jellies are a vital part of the oceanic food web.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cCtenophores are carnivorous, and,\u201d says\u00a0Smithsonian Ocean<\/a>\u00a0on its website. This includes fish eggs, larvae and other small planktonic creatures. Although different types of comb jellies have a range of feeding strategies, they often have something in common: colloblasts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMany comb jellies have colloblasts lining their tentacles, which work like nematocysts but release glue instead of venom,\u201d says Smithsonian. \u201cUpon touch, a spiral filament automatically bursts out of colloblast cells that releases the sticky glue. Once an item is stuck, the comb jelly reels in its tentacle<\/a> and brings the food into its mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n

In turn, fish,\u00a0turtles<\/a>\u00a0and crustaceans prey on ctenophores.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur team\u2019s photography didn\u2019t just document beauty; it enabled taxonomy and discovery, resulting in six new species records for Colombia,\u201d says Mayorga. \u201cThis paper beautifully illustrates what happens when scientific rigour meets the art of underwater photograph.\u201d<\/p>\n

In pictures: spectacular comb jellies
\n\"BeroeBeroe forskalii. Credit: Enric Sala, National Geographic Pristine Seas
\n\"CestumCestum veneris. Credit: Enric Sala, National Geographic Pristine Seas
\n\"OcyropsisOcyropsis maculata inmaculata. Credit: Enric Sala, National Geographic Pristine Seas
\n\"Mertensiidae\"Mertensiidae. Credit: Enric Sala, National Geographic Pristine Seas
\n\"CestumCestum veneris. Credit: Enric Sala, National Geographic Pristine Seas
\n\"Hydromedusae\"Hydromedusae. Credit: Manu San F\u00e9lix, National Geographic Pristine Seas
\n\"ThalassocalyceThalassocalyce inconstans. Credit: Manu San F\u00e9lix, National Geographic Pristine Seas
\n\"AA diver observes a Hydromedusae. Credit: Manu San F\u00e9lix, National Geographic Pristine Seas
\n\"Hydromedusae\"Hydromedusae. Credit: Manu San F\u00e9lix, National Geographic Pristine Seas
\n\"Hydromedusae\"Hydromedusae. Credit: Manu San F\u00e9lix, National Geographic Pristine Seas
\n\"LeucotheaLeucothea pulchra. Credit: Manu San F\u00e9lix, National Geographic Pristine Seas
\n\"PelagiaPelagia noctiluca. Credit: Manu San F\u00e9lix, National Geographic Pristine Seas
\n\"ThalassocalyceThalassocalyce inconstans. Credit: Enric Sala, National Geographic Pristine Seas<\/p>\n

Top image: Cestum veneris.\u00a0Credit: Enric Sala, National Geographic Pristine Seas<\/p>\n

More amazing wildlife stories from around the world<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Researchers have documented several new types of plankton called comb jellies in the Colombian Caribbean and Pacific, including…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":483323,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[49,48,66,323],"class_list":["post-483322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-science","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/483322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=483322"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/483322\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/483323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=483322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=483322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=483322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}