The bloodybelly comb jelly is a newly discovered animal that lives in the deep ocean. Its body glows deep red, but because of the lack of light in the deep ocean, it appears nearly invisible.
Comb jellies are not true jellyfish, but they have similar characteristics to jellyfish. There is still much to be discovered about this species.
What Is The Bloodybelly Comb Jelly?
These blood red jellies are nearly invisible to other animals. Bloodybelly comb jellies live in the twilight zone, where there is little light. At depths this deep, red coloration is helpful because you cannot see red wavelengths. So, predators cannot see them because they appear black.
Despite appearing black to predators, these jellies glow bright red in the presence of light. Their bodies display a variety of reds, but the stomach is constantly deep, blood-red.
It is likely that the blood-red color of their stomach masks the bioluminescence produced by the animals they eat, shielding them from the eyes of predators.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute describes this phenomenon:
“Many of the deep-sea animals the bloody-belly comb jelly preys upon can bioluminesce, or create their own light. The translucent predator needs to conceal its stomach—or risk its most recent meal lighting it up from the inside out and alerting potential predators to its whereabouts. Red is nearly invisible in the deep sea, so the vibrant crimson that gives this comb jelly its name is actually helping it hide from its predators.”
Sparkling, Hair-Like Cilia
Hair-like cilia covers the bloodybelly comb jelly’s body. Cilia is transparent and refracts light, causing the jellies to look like they’re sparkling. The cilia beat constantly, and the bloodybelly jellies use them to move through the water.
Not True Jellies
We call these animals “jellies” because they are not true jellyfish, but are ctenophores. Ctenophores differ from jellyfish because they have cilia that they use to propel themselves through the water.
Jellyfish also have nematocysts, or stinging cells, they use to catch and stun prey. Ctenophores do not have stinging cells, but have sticky cells that attach to prey. Once they have the prey, they can move the animal to their mouth. Unlike jellyfish, ctenophores do not have tentacles.
A New Discovery
Researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) only discovered bloodybelly jellies 20 years ago. Research in the deep sea is difficult, so remote operated vehicles traversed the depths to capture the first videos and photos of the animal.
- Common Names: Bloodybelly Comb Jelly
- Scientific Name: Lampocteis cruentiventer
- Origin: Canada to California, and Japan
- Size (Length): Up to 6 in (15.2 cm)
Habitat
The bloodybelly comb jellies live in the twilight, or dsyphotic zone at depths of 400-1,000 m (1,200-3,281 ft).
They live in the deep waters between Canada and California. Populations also live in the waters off Japan.
Diet
The bloodybelly jelly’s diet is currently unknown.
The Jelly That Poops Glitter
In early 2022, the Monterey Bay Aquarium captured bloodybelly comb jellies pooping for the first time, and their waste looks like glitter. The waste sparkles, likely because of the bioluminescent plankton they eat.
Researcher George Matsumoto of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute only discovered the bloodybelly comb jelly in 2003. At the time, he didn’t think many people would ever see it as it’s difficult to bring to the surface for research.
Like many deep-sea animals, jellies tend to “melt” when brought to the surface from lack of pressure.
George Matsumoto said:
“If the aquarium had asked me if that was a good candidate to put in a tank in an exhibition, I would have said don’t even try. When I was doing research, we would collect it, and I would be looking at it on the ship in the collection container, and it would melt and turn the water red. I described it using frame grabs from a video. I never had an intact specimen. I never saw it under a microscope. It was so sensitive to temperature change, I thought it couldn’t be displayed.”
But in early 2022, the Monterey Bay Aquarium unveiled its new exhibit, “Into The Deep”. The researchers decided to try to display the jellyfish, and it was a success.
To keep the fragile animals alive, sea water comes from Monterey Bay and is filtered every hour, providing the jellyfish with fresh water every hour. The aquarium keeps the water at just 39°F (3.9°C), and they keep the oxygen levels at 3% of the surface water to mimic the conditions of the deep ocean.
The Mercury News described the exhibit:
“As much an ode to the technology of marine exploration as to the poetic magnificence of some of the planet’s most unusual life, the exhibition features animals that scientists have only recently discovered, and many which have never been shown before in aquariums anywhere in North America.”
Conclusion
Researchers only discovered bloodybelly comb jellies in 2003. They are deep-sea dwelling creatures who live in the twilight zone where there is little light. It’s hard to perform research in the twilight zone, so we don’t know much about the bloodybelly comb jelly.
Now that bloodybelly comb jellies are on display at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, hopefully we will begin to understand these animals better.
FAQs
Jellyfish do not have blood, a brain, or even a heart.
Ctenophores have not been assessed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They do not have an official conservation status, but they are not considered to be endangered.
There is nothing to suggest that bloodybelly comb jellies are dangerous. They do not sting like true jellyfish.
