An enormous tubular ‘creature’ has been spotted in the sea. Is it a new species so far unidentified? It looks like a giant snake-like animal, navigating its way through the waters.
The tubular creature (Pyrostremma spinosum). Screenshot from Eaglehawk Dive’s YouTube video/ Michael Baron
It looks like a huge inflatable tube, or like a sea-snake. Experts have explained that it is not one creature; rather, it is an aggregation of thousands of animals known as zooids all gathered in a gelatinous tube called a pyrosome.
“One long pyrosome is actually a collection of thousands of clones, with each individual capable of copying itself and adding to the colony,” says marine biologist Rebecca Helm in a statement.
The ‘creature’ is bioluminescent, emanating a bright greenish blue glow that lights up the colony when it meets a disturbance. It has been described as “shining like white-hot cylinders in the water” by 19th century scientist Thomas Huxley.
The ‘cylinders’ can actually evolve into huge sizes, even reaching over 12 meters in length.
Each zooid forming part of the mass is a filter feeder: it feeds by sucking in water and filtering small particles while blowing its waste out. This feeding strategy causes the colony to move forth at a slow pace. When the feeding is paused, the colony can sink 500 – 700 meters below the surface of the water.
The footage depicting the amazing team work was shared by Eaglehawk Dive Center from Australia:-