Scientists aboard the E / VNautilusknow how to deliver . This time around , the crew come across a wan “ ghostly ” deep - ocean cephalopodan flapping its wing - comparable fins and ballooning its consistence in a mesmerizing – albeit somewhat haunting – dance .
Nicknamed the “ Dumbo ” devilfish for everyone ’s favourite Disney elephant , this rarely seenGrimpoteuthismeasured an estimated 60 centimeters ( 24 inches ) long – and it was certainly “ showing off . ”
Our “ grumpy tooth ” friend was register cockle its hood and mantle , ballooning out as it revealed eight rows of sucker and inverted webbed arms . Normally , these cephalopods appraise just 20 cm ( 8 inch ) long and spend their metre hovering above the seafloor in lookup of snails , worms , and other food .
“ I bonk me a good cephalopod mollusk , ” said one squad member . Same girl , same .
affect on to bluer pastures , the E / VNautilusjustlaunchedits newest expedition from San Francisco , California , and will be at sea until October 31 . Partnering with the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary , the team is break down the deep sea to characterize undiscovered habitats , specie , and communities off a bouldery basaltic reef just southeast of theDavidson Seamount .
settle about 129 kilometers ( 80 miles ) southwest of Monterey , California , this inactive volcanic mountain habitat is one of the gravid known seamounts in US weewee , stretch out 42 kilometers ( 26 mil ) long and 13 kilometers ( 8 Roman mile ) wide . In a normally flat seascape , this “ Oasis in the Deep ” measure 2,280 meter ( 7,500 infantry ) tall from base to crest even though its peak is still 1,250 meters ( 4,100 feet ) below the airfoil . As theNautilus Livewebsitenotes , these flower may create current shape throughout the pristine area that support a divers array of life , including sponge fields , abstruse - sea red coral forests , crabs , shrimp , starfish , and “ high numbers of rare and unnamed benthic species . ”
Researchers come across other trance octopuses , including a group of sulk mothers located near shimmering fluid seep antecedently strange in this neighborhood and “ never before ascertain in such monolithic aggregations . ” Just last month , a dramatic gulper eel had the whole crew up in arms ( and if you have n’t heard their reactions yet then be certain to putthis videoon your watch list ) .
The E / VNautilusis a undertaking by the nonprofitOcean Exploration Trustand provide some seriously nerveless work distractions – err , research .
