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New footage reveals a mysterious giant deep-sea ‘Phantom’ jelly that has never been seen before

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The phantom giant is a very unusual occurrence, and we now have some great film to assist us understand more about it.

A billowing red curtain is spotted by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) out of the darkness of the ocean’s midnight zone. The lights of the submersible show the shape of a big jellyfish when it creeps in for a closer look (Stygiomedusa gigantea).

Every sighting of this mystery critter, also known as the “big phantom jelly” in English, is a cause for jubilation among ocean experts. Even though we’re talking about a gigantic animal with a broad distribution, scientists have only seen this species roughly 100 times since it was originally captured in 1899. So, why have there been so few sightings? Accessing these species’ deep-water home, on the other hand, has been difficult.

MBARI’s remotely controlled gadgets are useful in this situation. Such vehicles have aided our understanding of deep-sea life, and MBARI’s ROV Doc Ricketts has now added to our understanding by giving the incredible film below. In November 2021, the ROV discovered this massive phantom jelly at a depth of 990 meters (3,200 ft) in Monterey Bay. This deep-sea creature has a bell that reaches more than one meter (3.3 feet) in diameter and four ribbon-like oral (or mouth) arms that may reach a length of more than ten meters (33 feet).

The gigantic phantom jelly is still a mystery to us today. Trawl nets have been used to research deep-sea species in the past, and while they can be useful for studying robust organisms like squids, crabs, and fish, jellies transform into a gelatinous goo in them. Researchers have been able to examine these species in their natural habitat because to the cameras on MBARI’s ROVs. Scientists would not have been able to notice amazing details about the animal’s appearance and activities with a trawl-caught specimen if they had used high-definition film of the huge phantom jelly.

MBARI’s observations of the enormous phantom jelly have contributed to a better understanding of the animal’s ecological role in the deep ocean. Another MBARI ROV, Tiburon, filmed a fish – the pelagic brotula (Thalassobathia pelagica) – with a large phantom jelly during an excursion to the Gulf of California. The brotula hovered over its host’s bell and swam in and out of the jelly’s massive oral arms, as researchers observed. Because the nighttime zone’s wide-open depths provide little cover, many organisms seek safety in the gelatinous animals that abound in this habitat.

MBARI has even more incredible photographs and data about the enormous phantom jelly:

The giant phantom jelly (Stygiomedusa gigantea) has an unusual appearance and remarkable size, and it also exhibits a unique life history. Most jellies alternate between a swimming stage (called a medusa) and an attached stage (called a polyp or hydroid). But female giant phantom jellies brood their young in pouches beneath that broad bell and give birth to their young live. Image: © 2007 MBARI
Encountering the giant phantom jelly is a rare treat, even for MBARI researchers. In over 34 years of deep-sea research, they have only observed this species nine times. This individual was spotted with the ROV Doc Ricketts at a depth of 990 meters (3,200 feet) in Monterey Bay. Image: © 2021 MBARI
The giant phantom jelly has a reddish coloration, similarly to many other deep-sea animals. Since red light cannot penetrate to the ocean’s depths, animals that are red appear black and camouflaged in the darkness. Scientists are unsure what animals might prey on the giant phantom jelly, but its crimson color and large size likely help deter most predators. Image: © 2018 MBAR
The giant phantom jelly was first collected in 1899. Since then, scientists have only encountered this animal about 100 times. It appears to have a worldwide distribution and has been recorded in all ocean basins except for the Arctic. The challenges of accessing its deep-water habitat contribute to the relative scarcity of sightings for such a large and broadly distributed species. MBARI’s ROV Tiburon observed this individual in the outer reaches of the Monterey Canyon at a depth of approximately 1,100 meters (3,600 feet). Image: © 2007 MBARI
MBARI’s ROV Tiburon recorded this giant phantom jelly while drifting in the currents just above the deep seafloor during an expedition to the Channel Islands off the coast of Southern California. Image: © 2005 MBARI
The giant phantom jelly does not have tentacles. Instead, it uses four blanket-like oral (or mouth) arms lined with stinging cells to stun prey. We don’t know what the giant phantom jelly eats, but scientists suspect it dines on plankton and perhaps small fish. Image: © 2007 MBARI
Most observations of the giant phantom jelly have occurred in deep water. MBARI has recorded this species at depths of 750 to 2,200 meters (2,500 to 7,200 feet) in Monterey Bay, the Juan de Fuca Ridge, and the Gulf of California. In the cold waters around Antarctica, the species has been seen in shallow waters. Image: © 2021 MBARI

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4