Scholars at the Schmidt Ocean Institute research ship Falkor are in the Indian Ocean on an expedition to explore the Ningalu Canyons off the west coast of Australia and they made an incredible discovery – a long ocean creature called a siphonophore.
This creature is likened to a string, and its outer ring is more than 47 meters.
“It seems likely that this sample is the largest ever recorded,” the Institute said in a statement.
“It consists of millions of interconnected clones, as if the Borg and the Clone Wars had a common child. There are about a dozen different tasks in the colony that a clone can complete, and each clone specializes in a specific task, ”says Rebecca Helm, marine biologist.
Omg I have CHILLS. This is an ANIMAL. I'm guessing it's over a hundred feet long, forming a spiral in the middle of the deep sea. I've gone on numerous expeditions and have never, EVER, seen anything like this. Let me tell you what this is and why it is blowing my mind [a thread] https://t.co/6SoWmfxsJH
— Open Ocean Exploration (@RebeccaRHelm) April 6, 2020
