Evolution
It's
always exciting to find new species, but when Tiburonia granrojo* was
discovered it wasn't just a new species - it was a member of a whole new
jellyfish subfamily. One of the most obvious signs that this was
something completely new was the arrangement of "arms". Whereas most
jellyfish have a mass of tentacles, Tiburonia granrojo has between 4 to 7
"oral arms". Jellyfish without tentacles are
not unknown to science, but these species are delicate and closely related. Tiburonia is very solid by comparison.
The red pigment is also curious. This pigment prevents researchers
seeing Tiburonia's diet (though whatever it does eat, it's assumed its
fleshy arms are involved) so we cannot say if it comes from its diet.
Tiburonia makes its home at depths of between 650-1500m, where light
doesn't reach and the temperature doesn't rise above 5 degrees Celsius
(40 Fahrenheit). Specimens have been found in the North Pacific, around
the areas of Japan, California and Hawaii. The "bell" part measures
around 75cm, but we also don't know if this is fully grown - a mere 23
specimens have been seen, and only 1 has been collected. Tiburonia
granrojo is yet another wonder of the deep that we know almost nothing
about!
*The name may come as a surprise to Spanish speakers, as
Tiburonia (from Tiburón) granrojo translates very roughly to "big red
shark". In fact, while Tiburonia does comes from Tiburón, it was the
name of the submersible which first captured the jellyfish on video.
Photo credit: MBARI.
http://
For those who want to read the paper on it (though it's a bit heavy-going) http://www.mpcfaculty.net/
It's
always exciting to find new species, but when Tiburonia granrojo* was
discovered it wasn't just a new species - it was a member of a whole new
jellyfish subfamily. One of the most obvious signs that this was
something completely new was the arrangement of "arms". Whereas most
jellyfish have a mass of tentacles, Tiburonia granrojo has between 4 to 7
"oral arms". Jellyfish without tentacles are
not unknown to science, but these species are delicate and closely related. Tiburonia is very solid by comparison.
The red pigment is also curious. This pigment prevents researchers seeing Tiburonia's diet (though whatever it does eat, it's assumed its fleshy arms are involved) so we cannot say if it comes from its diet. Tiburonia makes its home at depths of between 650-1500m, where light doesn't reach and the temperature doesn't rise above 5 degrees Celsius (40 Fahrenheit). Specimens have been found in the North Pacific, around the areas of Japan, California and Hawaii. The "bell" part measures around 75cm, but we also don't know if this is fully grown - a mere 23 specimens have been seen, and only 1 has been collected. Tiburonia granrojo is yet another wonder of the deep that we know almost nothing about!
*The name may come as a surprise to Spanish speakers, as Tiburonia (from Tiburón) granrojo translates very roughly to "big red shark". In fact, while Tiburonia does comes from Tiburón, it was the name of the submersible which first captured the jellyfish on video.
Photo credit: MBARI.
http://
For those who want to read the paper on it (though it's a bit heavy-going) http://www.mpcfaculty.net/
The red pigment is also curious. This pigment prevents researchers seeing Tiburonia's diet (though whatever it does eat, it's assumed its fleshy arms are involved) so we cannot say if it comes from its diet. Tiburonia makes its home at depths of between 650-1500m, where light doesn't reach and the temperature doesn't rise above 5 degrees Celsius (40 Fahrenheit). Specimens have been found in the North Pacific, around the areas of Japan, California and Hawaii. The "bell" part measures around 75cm, but we also don't know if this is fully grown - a mere 23 specimens have been seen, and only 1 has been collected. Tiburonia granrojo is yet another wonder of the deep that we know almost nothing about!
*The name may come as a surprise to Spanish speakers, as Tiburonia (from Tiburón) granrojo translates very roughly to "big red shark". In fact, while Tiburonia does comes from Tiburón, it was the name of the submersible which first captured the jellyfish on video.
Photo credit: MBARI.
http://
For those who want to read the paper on it (though it's a bit heavy-going) http://www.mpcfaculty.net/
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