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December 31, 2020: Siphonophore

On March 14, while exploring on an unnamed seamount west of the Winslow Reef complex during the sixth dive of the Discovering the Deep: Exploring Remote Pacific Marine Protected Areas expedition, this intact deepwater siphonophore was observed. Although they may appear to be a single organism, these giant siphonophores are actually a colony of many individual hydrozoans, each specialized for different functions such as swimming, feeding, and reproduction.

Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration andResearch, Discovering the Deep: Exploring Remote Pacific MPAs. Download larger version (jpg, 687 KB).

On March 14, while exploring on an unnamed seamount west of the Winslow Reef complex during the sixth dive of the Discovering the Deep: Exploring Remote Pacific Marine Protected Areas expedition, this intact deepwater siphonophore was observed. Although they may appear to be a single organism, these giant siphonophores are actually a colony of many individual hydrozoans, each specialized for different functions such as swimming, feeding, and reproduction.

To learn more about this amazing animal, watch a video of the siphonophore from the dive.