Three of these wonderful animals were seen near the bottom on Dive 1 at about 4,000 meters.
Bathypelagic Ctenophore
Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Exploring Puerto Rico’s Seamounts, Trenches, and Troughs. Download larger version (jpg, 1.3 MB).

Three of these wonderful animals were seen near the bottom on Dive 1 at about 4,000 meters. Eight rows of ciliated combs along the bottom of the body and very long tentacles originating from thick tentacle sheaths make this an unusual find. A similar animal was seen on a remotely operated vehicle dive over the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in 2010.

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