A blood - red , never - before - see species ofjellyfishhas been spotted off the coast of Newport , Rhode Island . During an ambitious deep - sea expedition , researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) discovered the crimson animal minding its own business almost 700 meters ( 2,300 feet ) below sea level .
Thejelly , which is yet to be appoint , was discovered during a recondite - water dive on July 28 and was filmed by the team as part of NOAA ’s North Atlantic Stepping Stones hostile expedition . The expedition also discovered various other animals , including ctenophores ( also known ascomb jelly ) , cnidarians , crustacean , and Actinopterygii ( ray - finned Pisces ) . The team “ saw several undescribed families and potential novel species , ” Quinn Girasek , a NOAA intern who was part of the despatch as a “ scientist from shoring ” said in astatement .
Among these potentially novel species is our mysterious new friend , the scarlet jelly . It ’s believe to belong to to the genusPoralia , which is presently a monotypic genus – it hold back only one species , Poraliarufescens . P. rufescensis establish in many of the world ’s inscrutable sea , though most often in the Caribbean . However , the researcher believe that their new find could be a previously undescribed metal money – a 2d blood - red jellyfish to join thePoraliafamily .
“ It appear that the Portuguese man-of-war in the TV … has many more tentacles than envision in the describedPoralia rufescens , lead scientists to believe the Portuguese man-of-war … is an undescribed mintage , ” NOAA toldMcClatchy News .
“ The jellyfish … also seemed to have nematocyst wart on the exumbrella ( the upper part or exterior of the jellyfish ’s toll ) that likely go both for defense but also to trap fair game . The radial canal of this genus often branch randomly , which is not common for other related to man-of-war . ”
The jellyfish was discover on dive 20 of a 25 - dive expedition which sweep from late June to previous July of this year . Earlier in the outing , the team come across a “ actual - life SpongeBob and Patrick ” – a sea quick study hanging out with a starfish 1,885 time ( 6,184 feet ) underwater .
