Image courtesy of NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2017 Laulima O Ka Moana. Download larger version (jpg, 1.7 MB).
This dandelion siphonophore was the first observed during the 2017 Laulima O Ka Moana: Exploring Deep Monument Waters Around Johnston Atoll expedition. Found at approximately 2,530 meters (8,300 feet) depth, we were able to see the feeding tentacles extended around the animal like a spider web as well as the pulsating nectophores, found just below and around the “float,” which helped to keep the central body suspended.
From: Enigmatic Invertebrates: The Dandelion Animal.