What could be the longest animal ever recorded, a weird and wonderful sea creature 150 feet in length, has been caught on video for the first time by researchers of the coast of Australia. The siphonophore Apolemia was spotted by crew aboard the research vessel Falkor, as they plumbed the depths of deep-sea canyons in search of new species. It proved to be a fruitful trip. The month-long expedition, funded by the Schmidt Ocean Institute, came up with new species large and small. In fact, as many as 30 new underwater species are believed to have been identified. Most dramatic is the siphonophore Apolemia. Siphonophores are typically long, thin, transparent floaters, that occupy the open ocean. They emit light to lure in potential prey, and use jet propulsion to move through the water.
What further distinguishes siphonophores, however, is that in reality they’re not officially one single organism. Instead, it’s a colonial organism, a collection of medusoid and polypoid zooids that gather into a functional colony. Different types of zooid have different roles: some help with propulsion, others with buoyancy, while others are for digestion or asexual reproduction. In effect, the siphonophores clone themselves, producing a vast chain of specialized bodies that are usually genetically-identical. Despite the length, the siphonophore Apolemia is only around the thickness of a broomstick, the researchers say. The coiled layout is its feeding posture.
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