On the coast of Argentina, scientists made a unique discovery: an underwater camera captured a giant jellyfish, Stygiomedusa gigantea, whose size is comparable to that of a bus. The filming took place from the research vessel Falkor at a depth of about 250 meters during a voyage from Buenos Aires to Tierra del Fuego.
According to specialists from the Schmidt Ocean Institute, the tentacles of this jellyfish can reach ten meters in length. The video has become a sensation, as such jellyfish are extremely rare, and a large part of the ocean depths remains unexplored. During the expedition, several coral reefs and possibly up to 28 new species of marine organisms, including worms, snails, and sea anemones, were also discovered.
The team of researchers traveled about 3,000 kilometers along the coast from Buenos Aires to Tierra del Fuego. They managed to document the largest coral reef known to date and identify 28 potentially new species, including sea urchins, sea snails, and corals.
“We were amazed by the diversity of species living in the deep waters of Argentina. It was incredible to observe such an active ecosystem,” noted the lead scientist of the expedition, Maria Emilia Bravo from the University of Buenos Aires. She added, “Studying the relationships between species and the functions of the ecosystem has been a real revelation. We saw a ‘window’ into the biodiversity of our country, but this is just the beginning, and many more discoveries await us ahead.”
The coral reef, the size of Vatican City, is home to a multitude of organisms, including fish, crustaceans, and octopuses. It is located in the southwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean, with the largest sections found in Argentine waters.
This giant jellyfish, measuring up to 10 meters in length and with a dome diameter of about one meter, was swimming at a depth of approximately 250–300 meters. Over the past hundred years, there have been only about 100 recorded encounters with this species of jellyfish. The phantom jellyfish is a deep-sea predator that is rarely observed by researchers.
Despite the fact that little was previously known about this area, the expedition revealed its significant size. The team discovered coral reefs 600 kilometers south of previously known locations, at a latitude of 43.5 degrees south.
