A mysterious sea creature was spotted by diver Andy Cracchiolo off Topanga Beach near Los Angeles (USA). Because its entire body is transparent, it has been described as a salt of the Thetys vagina species, which he considers to be a “ghost fish” (not actually a fish).
The recording was posted on Instagram by Cracchiolo on October 15. In the caption, he provided more information about the species, using an excerpt from the scientific website Southern Fried Science.
“It floats and feeds by pumping water into its body, filtering out plankton and throwing a jet of water through an organ called a siphon,” the text says.
In the video, it can be seen that the animal has a mouth and fin on its tail, but its transparent body is almost completely empty except for the spiral mass on its back.
“I was diving and taking pictures, looking for trash and treasure. I saw the creature and thought it was a clear and white plastic bag with something resembling a brown sea snail inside. I thought it might be something unique, because Andy told British tabloid DailyStar that he often “I’m diving into this place and I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
As the images echoed, scientists determined that it was a salpa, an animal belonging to the class Salpa. maggioreyour family salpidae. So it is not a fish that is often confused with jellyfish.
Moira Decima, assistant professor Codes Institution of the oceanography In San Diego, he defined the species as: thetys vagina.
According to the scientist, the unusually named creature is known as the “vacuum cleaner of the oceans” because of its ability to suck.
“They’re filter feeders, so they eat phytoplankton, microzooplankton and they can even eat bacteria because of the fine slits of their webs. Their reputation is for their role in the carbon cycle – they can eat a lot because they combine swimming with food,” he explained.
The name is believed to have come from the word vagina, which was used in the early 1800s as an allusion to the animal’s appearance.
What is salp?
Salp has a cylindrical body with two cavities – they serve to absorb and remove water from the organism, promoting the movement of the creature.
Transparency helps the animal camouflage itself and protect itself from predators. The species is commonly found in places with equatorial, subtropical, temperate and cold climates. Antarctica is the region with the highest concentration of the species.
Salps feed on phytoplankton, a number of marine photosynthetic microorganisms. Because they are multicellular and asexual animals, they can reproduce very rapidly thanks to their own reproductive abilities.
Despite being confused with jellyfish, salts are not as dangerous as they do not have stinging cells that cause injury to humans, according to experts.
source: Noticias
