October 27, 2021: Ctenophore
Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Gulf of Mexico 2014. Download larger version (jpg, 1.3 MB).
Shortly after reaching the seafloor for an Exploration of the Gulf of Mexico 2014 dive along the West Florida Escarpment, we encountered several of these ctenophores, or comb jellies. Despite their common name, comb jellies are not true jellyfish, and unlike jellyfish, they do not sting. When caught in the light of a remotely operated vehicle, these animals put on dazzling rainbow-hued light shows. Sometimes mistaken for bioluminescence, these colorful displays result when light is scattered by the moving rows of combs, or cilia, the animal uses to propel itself through the water.