Fire belt jelly siphonophores (Marrus orthocana) were common throughout Dive 01 of the Seascape Alaska expedition. This one was seen during the transect conducted at a depth of 700 meters (2,300 feet). Siphonophores are colonial animals, made up of many individual hydrozoans (called zooids) working together, with each individual zooid specialized for different functions such as swimming, feeding, reproduction, or defense.
Siphonophore
Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Seascape Alaska. Download larger version (jpg, 814 KB).

Fire belt jelly siphonophores (Marrus orthocana) were common throughout Dive 01 of the Seascape Alaska expedition. This one was seen during the transect conducted at a depth of 700 meters (2,300 feet). Siphonophores are colonial animals, made up of many individual hydrozoans (called zooids) working together, with each individual zooid specialized for different functions such as swimming, feeding, reproduction, or defense.