Siphonophores are colonial jelly-like creatures made up of specialized segments that work together as one. They may not be familiar to most, but they’re abundant animals in the ocean. In fact, siphonophores are some of the most important predators in ocean ecosystems. Scientists have described some 175 siphonophore species. Most follow a similar body plan-a gas-filled float provides buoyancy, swimming bells propel the colony, and a central stem bears specialized parts for feeding, defense, and reproduction. From the surface to the seafloor, the ocean is home to many extraordinary siphonophores. These are some of the most stunning species we’ve encountered.
Featured in this video (name in order of appearance, plus depth and location information):
0:00 Feather boa siphonophore (Erenna richardi) | 1,354 meters (4,442 feet) | Greater Monterey Bay area
0:22 Red siphonophore (Marrus claudanielis) | 1,142 meters (3,747 feet) | Davidson Seamount
0:39 Red-grooved siphonophore (Apolemia rubriversa) | 798 meters (2,618 feet) | Monterey Canyon
1:01 Green caterpillar siphonophore (Lilyopsis fluorocantha) | 395 meters (1,296 feet) | Greater Monterey Bay area
1:15 Woolly siphonophore (Apolemia lanosa) | 1,268 meters (4,160 feet) | Greater Monterey Bay area
1:32 Rocket ship siphonophore (Chuniphyes moserae) | 1,449 (4,754 feet) | Davidson Seamount
1:48 Lacy siphonophore (Erenna laciniata) | 1,074 meters (3,524 feet) | Alarcón Basin, Gulf of California
2:06 Royal siphonophore (Stephanomia sp.) | 1,984 meters (6,509 feet) | Sur Ridge
2:21 Shaggy siphonophore (Erenna insidiator) | 2,860 meters (9,383 feet) | Greater Monterey Bay area
2:37 Spaghetti siphonophore (Bathyphysa conifera) | 542 meters (1,778 feet) | Monterey Canyon
2:54 String siphonophore (Apolemia sp.) | 205 meters (673 feet) | Monterey Canyon
3:31 Dandelion siphonophore (Dromalia alexandri) | 347 meters (1,138 feet) | Monterey Canyon
3:47 Feather boa siphonophore (Erenna richardi) | 895 meters (2,936 feet) | Monterey Canyon
4:21 Bottlebrush siphonophore (Resomia dunni) | 1,850 meters (6,070 feet) | Offshore Central California
4:36 Christmas tree siphonophore (Forskalia sp.) | 435 meters (1,427 feet) | Sur Ridge
4:52 Blue siphonophore (Gymnopraia lapislazula) | 417 meters (1,368 feet) | Monterey Canyon
5:09 Angler siphonophore (Erenna sirena) | 1,764 meters (5,787 feet) | Gulf of California
5:25 Royal siphonophore (Stephanomia amphytridis) | 1,364 (meters (4,475 feet) | Offshore Southern California
5:45 Common siphonophore (Nanomia sp.) | 301 meters (988 feet) | Monterey Canyon
Learn more about these and other breathtaking beauties at MBARI's Animals of the Deep page: mbari.co/AnimalsOfTheDeep
Editor: Kyra Schlining,
Production team: Kyra Schlining, Nancy Jacobsen Stout, Susan von Thun
Music: Nova by Emilio Merone (Motion Array)
Select References:
Pugh, P.R., and S.H.D. Haddock. 2016. A description of two new species of the genus Erenna (Siphonophora, Physonectae, Erennidae), with notes on recently collected specimens of other Erenna species. Zootaxa, 4189: 401-446. dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.41...
Robison, B.H., K.R. Reisenbichler, R.E. Sherlock, J.M.B. Silguero, and F.P. Chavez. 1998. Seasonal abundance of the siphonophore, Nanomia bijuga, in Monterey Bay. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 45: 1741-1751. doi.org/10.1016/S0967-0645(98...
Dunn, C.W., P.R. Pugh, and S.H.D. Haddock. 2005. Marrus claudanielis, a new species of deep-sea physonect siphonophore (Siphonophora, Physonectae). Bulletin of Marine Science, 76: 699-714.