They’ve only ever been spotted 100 times.
The ocean is the largest living space on Earth and is home to some pretty incredible creatures.
It covers nearly 70% of our planet’s surface but we’ve explored just 5%, meaning that the other 95% of the ocean remains unknown.
This means that there are certain marine inhabitants that can fly – or swim – under the radar, making a sighting particularly difficult.
So, when we do spot one of these elusive creatures, it makes the experience all the more spectacular.
This was the case for researchers who managed to catch a rare glimpse of a giant phantom jelly.
The group were in Monterey Bay, California, when they encountered the jellyfish in November 2021.
Capturing a video and posting it onto their YouTube channel, MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute), the team wrote: “MBARI researchers spotted this giant phantom jelly (Stygiomedusa gigantea) with the ROV Doc Ricketts 990 meters (3,200 feet) deep in Monterey Bay. The bell of this deep-sea denizen is more than one meter (3.3 feet) across and trails four ribbon-like oral (or mouth) arms that can grow more than 10 meters (33 feet) in length.
“MBARI’s ROVs have logged thousands of dives, yet we have only seen this spectacular species nine times.”
This particular type of jellyfish has only ever been seen around 100 times (YouTube/@MBARIvideo)
This specific type of jellyfish was first collected in 1899 and since then, scientists have only seen the animal around 100 times.
It seems that they’re a species that’s spread out worldwide as they’ve been recorded in all oceans apart from the Arctic.
The group went on to say: “The challenges of accessing its deep-water habitat contribute to the relative scarcity of sightings for such a large and broadly distributed species.”
Viewers were stunned by the rare up-close clip. Taking to the YouTube comment section, one user posted: “The fact that this is an actual living creature that really exists on our planet just goes to show you that real life sometimes can compare to fantasy.”
Jellyfish are the oldest multi-organ animal group on Earth, having been around for over 500 million years (YouTube/@MBARIvideo)
A second commented: “Absolutely stunning. The last shot was just magnificent. It seems like it put itself on full display, Seemingly as soft as silk and just dancing with the water currents. So natural and effortless as it just glides along.”
A third added: “Really makes you think of all the extinct undiscovered species that couldn’t fossilize. I wonder how unique they could have been!”
And a fourth wrote: “Whew that’s ominous awe inspiring sent chills down my back and is totally surreal and beautiful at the same time.”
Jellyfish are the oldest multi-organ animal group and have been in the ocean for at least 500 million years, possibly even 700 million years – meaning they were around long before the first dinosaur!
