See a new species of jellyfish found in the ocean's 'twilight zone'

The diameter of the newly described species, Atolla reynoldsi, is about 13 cm. Typically this animal has from 26 to 39 tentacles,

stated in the statement of the employeesMonterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). Like 10 other known species of the genus Atolla, A. reynoldsi has a deep groove that runs around its central bell. This gives its body an unusual appearance, which is why this type of jellyfish is called “crowned”.

Animals feed on crustaceans, siphonophores (rope-like gelatinous animals) and other small creatures that live at a depth of 1,000 to 4,000 m.

By analyzing thousands of hours of video footage shot in...in the midnight zone of Monterey Bay between April 2006 and June 2021, MBARI researchers occasionally discovered “crowned” jellyfish that lacked the characteristic trailing tentacle. The team suspected they had discovered three new species in the bay, but sightings were too rare to prove it. Now scientists have finally identified one of the unknown creatures as a new species of A. reynoldsi.

A.reynoldsi has so far only been seen in the Monterey Canyon off the California coast, swimming at depths ranging from 1,013 to 3,189 m. It is almost as large as the famous Grand Canyon, making it one of the deepest underwater canyons on the West Coast of the USA. That is why it is called twilight. 

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