Mysterious Jellyfish Discovered At The Bottom of the Indian Ocean
During an expedition to the Java Trench, believed to be the deepest point in the Indian Ocean, researchers came across a strange new species of jellyfish. The unnamed creature gave off a blue hue and was spotted on camera 7,000 meters below sea level.
The leader of the expedition, Victor Vescovo, said that he had never seen anything like the creature before, and he's made three trips with the Five Deeps Expedition team to explore the Java Trench.
Using the DSV Limiting Factor submersible, it is the first time that a human has been to the bottom of the trench, an expedition which is currently being filmed for the Discovery Chanel. On the discovery of the jellyfish, scientist Alan Jamieson claimed that he had an idea what the team would find at those depths, "but every now and again you get thrown this curveball."
He continued, saying, "It really looks artificial — it rolls out the darkness and suddenly it turns and you're like, 'Jesus, that’s some kind of weird jellyfish.’" At this point, scientists believe that the creature is a sea squirt known as a tunicate, or could possibly be an ascidian. They're confident they'll have confirmation in due time.
