Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
One of the longest living creatures on earth--
https://www.cnet.com/news/see-a-giant-siphonophore-a-bizarre-ocean-creature-that-looks-like-silly-string/While most of the world is hunkered down at home, scientists on the Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel Falkor are isolated on the ocean during an expedition to study the Ningaloo Canyons off the western coast of Australia.
They found something flabbergasting in the deep sea: a crazy-long ocean creature called a siphonophore. Schmidt Ocean tweeted a video of what looks like a huge line of silly string sprayed in a spiral pattern in the water.
"It seems likely that this specimen is the largest ever recorded, and in strange UFO-like feeding posture," the institute wrote. Schmidt Ocean estimated the siphonophore's outer ring at 49 feet (15 meters) in diameter. While the siphonophore, which is related to jellyfish, looks like it's all one animal, it's actually a collection of parts. "It's made of millions of interconnected clones, like if the Borg and the Clone Wars had a baby together. There are about a dozen different jobs a clone can do in the colony, and each clone is specialized to a particular task," explained Rebecca Helm, a University of North Carolina, Asheville, marine biologist who started a Twitter thread to add context to the video.
They found something flabbergasting in the deep sea: a crazy-long ocean creature called a siphonophore. Schmidt Ocean tweeted a video of what looks like a huge line of silly string sprayed in a spiral pattern in the water.
"It seems likely that this specimen is the largest ever recorded, and in strange UFO-like feeding posture," the institute wrote. Schmidt Ocean estimated the siphonophore's outer ring at 49 feet (15 meters) in diameter. While the siphonophore, which is related to jellyfish, looks like it's all one animal, it's actually a collection of parts. "It's made of millions of interconnected clones, like if the Borg and the Clone Wars had a baby together. There are about a dozen different jobs a clone can do in the colony, and each clone is specialized to a particular task," explained Rebecca Helm, a University of North Carolina, Asheville, marine biologist who started a Twitter thread to add context to the video.
Read her thread Link to tweet
" target="_blank">here.
5 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
(I think I'm channeling my "inner Judi Lynn" 
to her)!
Such an interesting name they gave it, too.
This will stick in anyone's mind, no doubt about it!
Thank you for sharing this one. 
