This is the moment deep sea explorers captured an incredibly elusive creature on camera – the giant phantom jellyfish.
Eerie footage shows the rare animal, which has only been filmed around a dozen times, gently pulsing and swirling its way through the water off the coast of Argentina.
It was captured on film by scientists at the Schmidt Ocean Institute, whose remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was on its descent to explore the Colorado-Rawson submarine canyon wall.
At 253 metres (830 feet) down, they came across the enormous ghostly jellyfish, which was first discovered in 1899.
It boasts arms that can reach more than 10 metres (33 feet) long and a main body that measures over a metre (3.3 feet) wide.
It lives anywhere from surface level to 21,900ft deep, but mostly sticks to an area called the twilight zone which is too deep for most light to reach.
In the clip, the jellyfish is lit up by the ROV’s lights and appears to be swimming downwards, slowly pulsing as small fish swim around it.
Most impressive are its four long ‘mouth arms’, which scientists believe are used to grab and trap prey, trailing up above it.
Eerie footage shows the rare animal, which has only been filmed around a dozen times, gently pulsing and swirling its way through the water off the coast of Argentina
According to the scientists, giant phantom jellyfish appear to live in all oceans except for the Arctic.
It is assumed they feed on plankton and small fishes, but very little is known about how the jellyfish survives.
It has only been documented around 100 times since it was first discovered, and is thought to be one of the largest invertebrate predators in the deep sea ecosystem.
Two previous sightings of it in the Gulf of Mexico suggest the species might hunt by clinging to subsea structures.
This means its arms would be freed up to trap food, but that sort of behaviour has never been directly witnessed.
Before underwater robots were invented, experts used trawling nets to study deep sea creatures such as this species of jellyfish, known as Stygiomedusa gigantea.
However, when one is captured and brought to the surface, researchers said its silky-looking frame turns to ‘gelatinous goo’.
That makes underwater robots the best way to observe the species and learn more about how it survives.
At 253 metres (830 feet) down, they came across the enormous ghostly jellyfish, which was first discovered in 1899
In the clip, the jellyfish appears to be swimming downwards, slowly pulsing as small fish swim around it
While the first specimen was collected 127 years ago, it took 60 years to recognise it as a new species.
A separate research organisation – the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) – say their ROVs have logged ‘thousands of dives’ deep into the ocean, but have only seen the spectacular species nine times.
‘MBARI’s observations of Stygiomedusa gigantea have helped illuminate its ecological role in the ocean’s depths,’ they write on their website.
‘During an expedition to the Gulf of California, MBARI’s ROV Tiburon recorded a fish – the pelagic brotula – alongside a giant phantom jelly. Researchers watched the brotula hover above the bell of its host and swim in and out of the jelly’s voluminous oral arms.
‘The wide-open waters of the midnight zone offer little shelter, so many creatures find refuge in the gelatinous animals that are abundant in this environment.’
What is the giant phantom jellyfish?
Stygiomedusa gigantea is a type of giant deep sea jellyfish that is rarely seen but believed to be widespread throughout the world.
It is thought to be one of the largest invertebrate predators in the deep sea ecosystem.
The jellyfish has an umbrella-shaped bell that can be up to a 3.3ft (1 metre) wide.
It also has four ‘paddle-like’ arms up to 32ft (10m) long, which, as scientists believe may be used to trap prey because they lack stinging tentacles.
Giant Stygiomedusa have been observed and filmed off the Pacific coast of the United States by and by deepwater robots off the coast of Japan and in the Gulf of Mexico.
The reddish purple coloured creature lives anywhere from surface level to 21,900 feet, but mostly sticks to an area called the twilight zone, which is too deep for most light to reach.
It is assumed they feed on plankton and small fishes, but very little is known about how the jellyfish survives.
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Deep sea explorers capture incredible footage of rare giant phantom jellyfish off the coast of Argentina