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Habitat: Midwater

Glass squid

Transparency keeps glass squids safe in the twilight zone.

Silky jelly

When danger approaches, the silky jelly uses speed and clever tricks to make a quick escape.

Abyssal comb jelly

This predator’s pretty pink color is clever camouflage.

Barrel amphipod

The midwater is a vast expanse of water between the surface and the seafloor.

Common siphonophore

The common siphonophore is a sit-and-wait predator that casts stinging tentacles to capture krill and other plankton.

Deep-sea squid

The deep-sea squid (Bathyteuthis sp.) is unusual among squids. Instead of laying egg cases on the seafloor or releasing a drifting egg mass, females brood their developing offspring.

Giant phantom jelly

This ghostly giant is a rare sight. In thousands of dives, MBARI researchers have only seen the spectacular Stygiomedusa nine times.

Dragonfish

Dragonfishes are cunning predators that lie in wait to ambush unsuspecting prey.

Deep-sea crown jelly

The deep-sea crown jelly (Atolla sp.) is one of the most common jellies in the ocean’s midnight zone and has unique adaptations to survive where food is scarce and predators are plentiful.

Balloon worm

The balloon worm drifts through the midwater, casting a mucous net to feed on tiny bits of food slowly sinking from above.