Scientists were left scratching their heads after they spotted mysterious blobs on the bottom of the Caribbean. None of the researchers could come up with a definitive answer during the live stream.
Scientists were able to control a remotely operated vehicle to see multiple blue goo creatures. The blobs were found between 1,335 and 2,005 feet below the surface of the water.
The ROV was piloted from the research vessel Okeanos Explorer, which has been investigating sections of the North Atlantic for the last four months. The live stream of the footage was made available to deep-sea enthusiasts from around the world.
Researchers spotted one of the unusual blue creatures during the live stream and began discussing what it might be. It's possible that it's a soft coral or sponge, or even a tunicate, which is a type of sea squirt. "bumpy blue thing," "blue biomat" and "blue goo" were some of the suggestions the team made.
There are weird creatures in the deep sea.
The expedition members were able to agree on what the creature was not.
One researcher joked that it's not a rock, but as far as he can go.
A greeneye fish, a hatchetfish, a beardfish, a glass sponge, bamboo coral, and a rare coral reef are just some of the fish and coral that were seen from the dive.
The image is the first of four.
The team will begin the lengthy process of trying to find out what it is.
The researchers will send images and videos from the dive to coral and sponge experts to see if they can identify the blobs. According to the World Register of Marine Species, there are over 2000 species of soft corals, 8,500 species of sponges, and over 3000 species of tunicates.
The mystery will remain until a sample can be collected if experts can't identify the species.
The team thinks that the mystery is an example of what makes these expeditions so fun and important.
One researcher said there was always at least one thing that stuns them.
It was originally published on Live Science
All Rights Reserved © 2024
