A giant ghost jellyfish has been clearly filmed for the first time in the Atlantic.

According to ТСН: The depths of the ocean, where absolute darkness and extreme pressure reign, have once again amazed scientists with a new discovery. Oceanographers captured one of the most mysterious creatures — the rare phantom jellyfish Stygiomedusa gigantea, which is called the "ghost of the abyss" due to its ghostly appearance.

Description and Features of the Jellyfish

This species is a true giant among jellyfish — its bell diameter can exceed one meter. However, what is particularly impressive are the four massive oral lobes that can reach ten meters in length. It is with these lobes that the jellyfish captures its prey, enveloping plankton and small marine organisms, since unlike most of its relatives, it does not have thin stinging tentacles.

An important feature of the phantom jellyfish is its special coloration. The reddish-brown color makes this creature almost invisible in the deep-water light spectrum, helping it to camouflage in the darkness of the ocean.

Detection of the Jellyfish

Although Stygiomedusa gigantea was first described in 1899, it has only been observed about a hundred times over the more than a century due to the inaccessibility of its natural environment. These jellyfish usually live at depths of up to 6,700 meters, where research equipment has difficulty reaching.

Recently, scientists from the Schmidt Ocean Institute managed to capture unique footage of this creature in the Atlantic Ocean, near the shores of Argentina. Interestingly, the jellyfish rose to a depth of about 253 meters, allowing for high-quality video to be obtained in the Colorado-Rouson underwater canyon area.

It is noteworthy that the official recognition of Stygiomedusa gigantea as a separate species occurred only 60 years after its discovery, emphasizing the limited knowledge about the inhabitants of the ocean depths.

Global Distribution and Life Mysteries

The phantom jellyfish has a practically global distribution: it has been recorded in various parts of the World Ocean, except for the Arctic. It is most often found in the cold waters near Antarctica. However, science still lacks answers to key questions: how long does this giant live, how does it reproduce in complete darkness, and what mechanisms allow it to maintain such large sizes in conditions of food scarcity.

Each new encounter with the phantom jellyfish reminds researchers that the depths of the ocean remain less studied than the surface of some planets. Creatures that seem to be "monsters" are actually a striking example of impressive evolutionary adaptation of life on Earth.

It should be noted that earlier underwater devices in Antarctica managed to capture three giant phantom jellyfish Stygiomedusa gigantea.

This finding demonstrates how many mysteries remain unsolved in the ocean depths. Studying such creatures not only expands our understanding of marine ecosystems but also emphasizes the importance of preserving the oceanic environment, which still remains understudied.