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Spreading the love for deep-sea worms.⁠ ♥️⁠ ⁠ This unusual onuphid worm was recorded in the Gulf of California at a depth of 1,700 meters (5,577 feet). That is 170 times the atmospheric pressure we feel at sea level! The animal builds a chitinous tube but does not lead a sedentary life, as might be expected of a typical tube-dweller. It can hoist up and carry the entire tube to travel across the muddy bottom at a surprisingly rapid pace.

Things are getting creepy. #deepseastyle⁠ ⁠ ⁠ Deep-sea anglerfish are strange and elusive creatures that are very rarely observed in their natural habitat. Fewer than half a dozen have ever been captured on film or video by deep diving research vehicles. This little angler, about nine centimeters (about 3.5 inches) long, is named Melanocetus. It is also known as the black seadevil anglerfish, and it lives in the deep dark waters of the Monterey Canyon. MBARI's ROV Doc Ricketts observed this anglerfish for the first time at 600 meters (1,968 feet) on a midwater research expedition in November 2014.

Close encounters of the sharky kind. 🦈⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ During late summer, the offshore waters in Monterey Bay tend to be kelpy and sharky, which are both challenges for MBARI's autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). AUVs Dorado and Pontus both became firmly wrapped in kelp last month, and the long-range AUV Tethys was again attacked by a great white shark north of Point Pinos. The shark tore off the vehicle's communication antenna and left the usual tooth calling card behind, embedded in the carbon fiber shell. MBARI engineers recovered the vehicle, installed a new antenna, and sent Tethys back to work in a few hours.

This helmet jelly just landed an all-you-can-eat buffet. 🍽 ⁠ Periphylla periphylla, sometimes called the helmet jellyfish, lives in the deep midwaters of the ocean. Here in Monterey Bay, we observe this species with our ROVs from a few hundred meters deep to over 2,000 meters (6,562 feet). The bell can reach up to 20 centimeters (about eight inches) tall. We can often see a beautiful deep red stomach area through the transparent bell, which presumably masks the light produced by ingested bioluminescent prey. This helmet jelly has caught two different prey: a gonatid squid (below) and a small medusa (at upper left).

The cryptic tonguefish—not just an epic band name but an actual deep-sea fish!⁠ ⁠ Many fishes use camouflage to hide from predators, but tonguefishes use cryptic coloration and a super-fast burial strategy to disappear quickly. This tonguefish (Symphurus sp.) measured approximately 18 centimeters (seven inches) in length and was filmed in the Gulf of California.

Look into my eye. 👁️ The owlfish, named for the size of its large eyes relative to its head, lives throughout the North Pacific. Species in the family Bathylagidae are relatively common in the deep sea, living at depths of over 6,000 meters (19,685 feet). Here in the Monterey Bay, we observe these fish between a few hundred meters to over 2,000 meters (6,561 feet).