Report by Swasti Sharma
Scientists have discovered a new species of crown jellyfish. It looks like a red coloured saucer. It is usually found in the midnight zone (a zone where no sunlight penetrates the freezed water) of Monterey Bay of California.
The newly discovered species is named Atolla reynoldsi. It measures about 5 inches (13 centimeters) in diameter.
According to the researchers, A. reynoldsi sports a deep groove running around its central bell, giving its body the appearance of a domed head wearing a frilly red crown.
A. reynoldsi lacks a single elongate tentacle — one long, thin tentacle that trails behind its body, measuring up to six times the diameter of the jelly fish’s belly. It is this that differentiates it from the other ten species of crown jellyfish.
According to the researchers, a crown jelly uses this extended tail to help snag prey, which can include crustaceans (a crab, lobster, shrimp), siphonophores (rope-like sticky animals), and other small creatures that pass through the ocean’s midnight zone. The midnight zone extends from 3,300 to 13,100 feet (1,000 to 4,000 m) below the water’s surface.
Image Credit: Matsumoto et al., Animals 2022