BUENOS AIRES, Argentina– A recent deep sea exploration off Argentina’s coast revealed an incredible video of a giant jellyfish that can grow to be as large as a school bus.
Video from the Schmidt Ocean Institute showed the magnificent creature as it swam 820 feet below the ocean’s surface.
The giant phantom jelly is rare.
( Schmidt Ocean Institute via Storyful / FOX Weather)
The jellyfish is a rare one called Stygiomedusa gigantea, or a giant phantom jelly, the institute said.
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During the Argentinian-led science expedition, science teams explored the entire length of the Argentinian coast from Buenos Aires to an area offshore from Tierra del Fuego.
The team documented 28 suspected new ocean species as well as the largest-known Bathelia candida coral reef in the global ocean, and several other rich reef complexes.
A Stygiomedusa gigantea discovered in the deep sea off the coast of Argentina by the Schmidt Ocean Institute.
( Schmidt Ocean Institute via Storyful / FOX Weather)
“We collected an unprecedented number of chemical, physical and biological samples that will be used to understand connections in our waters for years to come,” Dr. Melisa Fernández Severini of Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía and CONICET said. “These samples represent a unique opportunity to understand not only how extraordinary these extreme ecosystems are, but also how vulnerable they can be.”
Video of the phantom jelly shows young fish swimming next to its tentacles, which look like long, pink ribbons cascading through the sea.
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The jellyfish’s tentacles can be 33 feet long and in total the jelly can grow to be as long as a school bus.
( Schmidt Ocean Institute via Storyful / FOX Weather)
The Schmidt Ocean Institute said these rare jellyfish don’t have any stinging tentacles, but use their arms to catch their prey.
Clips of the video show just how large the jelly is, with its tentacles going on for what feels like forever.
The jelly’s bell appeared bulbous as it rippled through the blue ocean.
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The bell of the phantom jelly can grow to be 3.3 feet in diameter.
( Schmidt Ocean Institute via Storyful / FOX Weather)
The video made it difficult to tell exactly how large this specific phantom jelly was, but the institute said these giant jellies can have tentacles up to 33 feet long and bells up to 3.3 feet in diameter.
