In the Mariana Trench found previously unknown glowing jellyfish

The Mariana Trench continues to bring surprises to marine biologists. Another immersion, accomplished by scientists at the end of April, brought the discovery of a new type of jellyfish , called by scientists themselves “stunningly beautiful.” The unusual appearance of the jellyfish gives bioluminescence.

Medusa was ranked as the genus Crossota. Scientists have discovered it at a depth of 4.3 kilometers. This is a fairly large depth, although it does not seem so compared to the deepest point of the Mariana Trench (almost 11 km).


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The video with the jellyfish was filmed by cameras from the research deep-water vessel Okeanos Explorer, operating under the research program of the US federal agency "National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration."

Scientists believe that this jellyfish can be an ambush predator. She has two sets of tentacles, long and short. In a stationary state, the long tentacles are elongated and evenly distributed in space, as if waiting for prey.



In the feature film Avatar, there is a creature a bit like this jellyfish. The creator of the film James Cameron is known for his interest in deep-sea diving - he, for example, became the first person to go down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench alone.


Map of the planned studies of the Mariana Trench

“The main objective of the mission is to obtain fundamental information about the deep-sea world, which will support scientific and managerial needs, and will give an idea of ​​the diversity and distribution of the life forms of the underwater world,” the statement said. The progress of the study, which will last until July 10, can be monitored online.