Rare giant, 30-foot-long phantom Jellyfish found by researchers in Monterey Bay

Researchers from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) discovered an ultra-rare big phantom jellyfish in November, this year. The gigantic phantom jelly's 30-foot-long "mouth arms" are only designed to trap victims rather than sting them.

The video of the huge phantom jellyfish was recently uploaded to MBARI's YouTube channel. Researchers were using a remote-operated submarine to explore the seas off the coast of Monterey Bay in California, US, when they saw the species, according to the research institute. At a depth of 3,200 feet below sea level, the submersible discovered the aquatic extraterrestrial.

MBARI notes in the video's caption read "this ghostly giant is a rare sight. The bell of this deep-sea denizen is more than [3.3 feet] across and trails four ribbon-like oral (or mouth) arms that can grow more than [33 feet] in length."

Apart from its enormous size, the giant phantom jellyfish (Stygiomedusa gigantea) has a strange, captivating appearance and movement. Even in comparison to other strange deep-sea jellies, the researchers remarked in the video. Its bulbous bell (also known as its umbrella-like head) appears to glow orange gum drop-like. From above, the creature appears to be wearing an undulating top hat with four flowing scarves.

The Ghostly Jellyfish uses its "mouth arms" to entrap animals

The enormous phantom jelly, for example, utilises its "mouth arms" to entrap animals and then reel them up into its mouth. This isn't unusual for jellyfish, but have a look at this thing. The terror component alone is likely to kill prey before they reach the mouth of the jellyfish. That, by the way, is also its anus!

In terms of rarity, the huge phantom jelly is the sea's equivalent of the Sasquatch in a way. The ghostly jelly has been seen before, but only 110 times in the last 100 years. MBARI has been studying the waters off the coast of California for decades and has logged thousands of dives, but their equipment has only sighted this magnificent species nine times.

Trawl nets have traditionally been used to research deep-sea species. These nets are useful for studying fish and squids, but jellyfish become a sticky goo when trapped. Scientists believe that the difficulty in entering deep water contributes to the small number of sightings of the huge jellyfish.

Image: MBARI