Bizarre, see-through sea creature baffles angler

BabuK · 2014-01-22T02:06:12+00:00

Sea creature called a Salpa maggiore; photo from Caters News Agency and used with permission A fisherman in waters north of New Zealand came across an odd-looking, translucent sea creature swimming on the surface. Curious, he caught the creaturepresumably scooping it up with a netto get a closer look. It was described as a see-through, shrimp-like creature by the U.K. MailOnline. It felt scaly and was quite firm, almost jelly like, and you couldnt see anything inside aside from this orange little blob inside it, fisherman Stewart Fraser told MailOnline. Sea creature called a Salpa maggiore; photo from Caters News Agencyand used with permission Fraser, who had been fishing with sons Conaugh and Finn 43 miles north of the Karikari Peninsula, took photos and shared them with his fishing buddies, none of whom could identify the sea creature. We have no idea what it could have been, but it was quite something, and Id never seen anything like it before, he said. Fortunately, the folks at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, U.K., had an idea, identifying it as a Salpa maggiore (Salpa maxima). Paul Cox, director of conservation and communication at the aquarium, told MailOnline that a salp is barrel-shaped, moves by pumping water through its gelatinous body, and that the life-cycle includes alternate generations of existing as solitary individuals or as a group forming long chains. In common with other defenseless animals that occupy open waterjellies and hydroids, for examplethe translucence presumably provides some protection from predation, Cox told MailOnline. Being see-through is a pretty good camouflage in water. The report doesnt say, but it is presumed Fraser threw the bizarre sea creature back into the ocean. Sea creature called a Salpa maggiore; photo from Caters News Agency and used with permission More creature stories on GrindTV Enormous rare sea creature hauled from the depths by Florida fishermen Mysterious sea monster discovered in Spain is identified Alien-like creature is actually a toad with a very big appetite

Thread starter BabuK
Start date Jan 22, 2014

BabuK

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Bizarre, see-through sea creature baffles angler

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