Animals in the water column of Monterey Bay
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| Aeginura grimaldii Photo: Kevin Raskoff (c) 1998 MBARI This narcomedusa is typically found at depths of 1000 meters or more. Its red pigment may help hide the jelly from predators. |
Deepstaria enigmatica Photo: Kevin Raskoff (c) 1998 MBARI Highly variable in shape, Deepstaria are very slow swimmers, and have no tentacles to capture prey. Instead, they simply close their large (up to a meter across) flexible bells around their prey. |
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| Aegina citrea Photo: Kevin Raskoff (c) 1998 MBARI This small (2-5 cm), delicate narcomedusa lives in the midwaters of Monterey Bay. It has relatively rigid tentacles and swims with rapid pulses of its bell. |
Tiburonia granrojo Photo: (c) 2002 MBARI This jelly, nicknamed "Big Red," grows to over a meter across. It was first observed by MBARI scientists in deep waters off the California coast, and is named for the MBARI ROV, Tiburon. |
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| Vampyroteuthis infernalis Photo: Kim Reisenbichler (c) 1996 MBARI The vampire squid is a "living fossil," which has remained relatively unchanged for hundreds of millions of years. This bizarre cephalopod lives in the oxygen minimum zone of Monterey Bay, at depths of about 600-900 meters. |
Beroe abyssicola Photo: George Matsumoto (c) 1991 MBARI Despite it's beauty, this ctenophore is a is a voracious predator, capturing and engulfing other ctenophores. Tiny hairs or cilia along the right hand side of the ctenophore act as "teeth," helping it hold onto its prey. |
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