Cascade creature

[TB Tabby]

Found this on Pharyngula.



Any idea as to what it is? Guesses I've seen range from jellyfish or mollusk to fishing net or whale placenta.

[crocoduck_hunter]

The hexagonal grid that's highly visible from around 1:45-2:00 makes me think that it's a fishing net.

[Richard W]

The first thing that goes past looks like one of those big red jellyfish (or it could be the same thing, further away). The thing that then comes back looks like a piece of fabric or netting to me. Just the way the light shines off it, even before you can see the hexagonal grid.

I was going to suggest it might be CGI as part of something viral, because I didn't see why the object would be behaving in that way. It seemed conveniently dramatic that something similar went past in one direction before the mysterious object came back from the other direction - rather staged-looking, in fact. But you probably get odd currents and eddies around oil platforms (I assume that's what's being inspected) so it might not be unusual. Also, it seems to be affected by the control jets from whatever submersible is filming it, making it billow strangely at times. If it was a viral thing I would expect something more dramatic or mysterious to happen, and for it to look less like fabric.

Although those white bits and the structure at the end are a little weird. Maybe CGI after all? Isn't James Cameron planning another underwater adventure film?

[llewtrah]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...--work-be.html

Those markings lead one commentator on the website Snopes - which tries to debunk or confirm rumours - to suggest this is simply nothing more than a fishing net. But again, the appendages get in the way.

Maybe a deep sea squid?

[musicgeek]

Hey, y'all - we're "commentators" now! (And we didn't even have to run for Vice President first or nothin'!)

[Pinecone]

Originally Posted by crocoduck_hunter

The hexagonal grid that's highly visible from around 1:45-2:00 makes me think that it's a fishing net.

Hexagonal forms are often found in nature too, though.

I think it's either some sort of jellyfish or it's CGI.

[Pinecone]

This blog has pictures of a jellyfish called a Deepstaria enigmatica, and this site has a description that sounds pretty similar.

[Swordmaster]

I vote fitted bed sheet.

With mange.

[crocoduck_hunter]

I got referenced by the Daily Mail!?!

[kit_n_caboodle]

Originally Posted by crocoduck_hunter

I got referenced by the Daily Mail!?!

How does that make you feel? Will you add it to your resume?

[Richard W]

Originally Posted by Pinecone

This blog has pictures of a jellyfish called a Deepstaria enigmatica, and this site has a description that sounds pretty similar.

Yes, that looks like it.

[crocoduck_hunter]

Originally Posted by kit_n_caboodle

How does that make you feel? Will you add it to your resume?

It makes me wish I was more familiar with deep-sea cnidarians so that their reference to me would have been about me saying what it (apparently) is.

[Brad from Georgia]

Jellyfish with mange.

Brad "somebody had to do it" from Georgia

[epitope]

Originally Posted by Pinecone

This blog has pictures of a jellyfish called a Deepstaria enigmatica, and this site has a description that sounds pretty similar.

The original publication describing Deepstaria has nice pictures that look like the animal shown in the video:

Russell, F.S. (1967) On a remarkable new scyphomedusan. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 47 (3). pp. 469-473
http://sabella.mba.ac.uk/2457/

The author even comments on the mesh-like network of canals:

"The radial canal system is most striking. It consists of a meshwork, likened by Dr Barham to wire-netting. The meshes are elongated radially and the whole system leads outwards to the umbrella margin."

[missy_pooh_1997]

Originally Posted by Swordmaster

I vote fitted bed sheet.

With mange.

bwahahahahahahaahaaaa

[Horse Chestnut]

Originally Posted by Brad from Georgia

Jellyfish with mange.

Brad "somebody had to do it" from Georgia

Maybe not mange, but it doesn't look too healthy. Looks like something popped it's bubble.

[epitope]

MBARI has identified it as Deepstaria reticulum: http://youtu.be/EwCgcwuFsBk

Jellies like this normally hang almost motionless; the strange movements in the video are caused by the jets of the ROV.