Caught on the Hercules’ camera was this rare siphonophore. The Siphonophorae (or Siphonophora, the siphonophores), are an order of the Hydrozoa, a class of marine animals belonging to the phylum Cnidaria. Although a siphonophore appears to be a single organism, each specimen is actually a colony composed of many individual animals. Most colonies are long, thin, transparent pelagic floaters. Some siphonophores superficially resemble jellyfish. The best known species is the dangerous Portuguese man o’ war (Physalia physalis). [source]
E/V Nautilus, the current ship of exploration of Titanic discoverer Dr. Robert Ballard, is exploring the ocean studying biology, geology, archeology, and more. Watch http://www.nautiluslive.org for live video from the ocean floor.
