GIANT PHANTOM JELLY FISH SPOTTED IN RARE SIGHTING 3000 FEET BELOW THE OCEAN

The deep sea's mysteries never cease to astound, and its marine life's biodiversity grows more captivating, enigmatic, and occasionally even frightening. Researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) encountered one of these wonders in November while exploring the pitch-black depths of the Pacific. They were rewarded with a rare glimpse of the stygiomedusa gigantae, also known as the giant ghost jellyfish, while using one of their remotely operated vehicles (ROV) to collect data at a depth of about 3,200 feet.

Since there aren't many opportunities to see these graceful, spectral beings, the word "phantom" seems apt. Though they can reside anywhere between the surface and depths of up to over 22,000 feet, the elusive jelly is most typically found in the midnight zone, which is between 3,280 and 13,120 feet beneath the surface. Additionally, the research institute has only seen this mysterious species nine times in the thousands of deep-sea dives that its ROVs have recorded. Additionally, according to MBARI, scientists have only seen the enormous phantom jellyfish roughly 100 times since its discovery in 1899. Fortunately, it was captured on camera this time.

The stunning creature's voluminous tentacles are shown in the video floating in the water like delicate silk curtains blown by a light wind. Instead of appearing on the body of a massive deep-sea creature, the flowing patterns seem more at home in a high-end underwater picture session. The enormous phantom jellyfish may reach a length of almost 33 feet, and its four "ribbon-like" limbs serve as mouths, while its bell is more than 3 feet wide. Brilliant swaths of red, almost glowing, also colour its gelatinous shape, which in the murky depths looks to be a deep reddish-brown hue. The jelly's elegant motions are so fluid and beautiful that they nearly seem like they were planned for a magical underwater dance.