@mbari_news: Siphonophore or salp chain?  You may have seen a recent video of a kayaker coming across a long, gelatinous animal. Many of the comments identified the animal as a siphonophore, but it is actually a salp! Salps are gelatinous animals that live in the open ocean, but are closely related to the "sea squirts" (tunicates) seen in tidepools. Colonial salps often form long chains, with new animals budding off from others in the chain. They can reach up to 15m long and are one of the fastest-growing animals on the planet. Salps rhythmically contract their bodies to propel themselves through the ocean and pump water through their guts, filtering out microscopic algae and other tiny organisms for food. They play an essential role in mitigating climate change as their fecal pellets are full of carbon and sink rapidly to the sea floor, sequestering that carbon for decades or even centuries to come. The salp chain you see here is the rarely observed, Helicosalpa virgula. It was captured on camera by our remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Doc Ricketts 282 meters (925 feet) deep.  #siphonophore #salp #salpchain #ocean #deepocean #deepsea #oceanlife #fyp

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Thursday 08 February 2024 20:38:28 GMT