A nudibranch from the midnight zone has fingers on its tail, collects food with a hood, and glows.
A team of researchers has published a detailed description of the undersea creature previously dubbed the “mystery mollusk” due to its bizarre body., and it was first observed in 2000 by a remotely operated vehicle making a dive off California’s Monterey Bay. That’s right: This animal is so weird that it took nearly a quarter-century to nail down its branch on the tree of life.
The team found that its bioluminescence comes from glowing granules throughout the creature’s hood and its tail. Sometimes, the animal will lose one of its glowing, finger-like appendages on its tail, which the researchers believe is a way to distract predators. Don’t worry—the animal can regenerate its dactyls.
The 5.6-inch-long invertebrate eats crustaceans, which it pulls into its funnel-shaped mouth, located at the back of the animal’s elastic hood. It’s also hermaphroditic, and spawns on the seafloor—as deep as nine Empire State Buildings stacked on top of one another.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Supernova first seen in 1181 is releasing glowing filamentsWhen a supernova was seen glittering in the night sky for six months in 1181, it was so bright that Chinese and Japanese astronomers recorded it as a 'guest star' in the Cassiopeia constellation.
Read more »
A supernova first seen in 1181 is releasing glowing filamentsAstronomers studying the site of a supernova seen 843 years ago have captured an image of the strange filaments left behind by the stellar explosion.
Read more »
For the first time in decades, we have a new kind of schizophrenia drugFor the past 70 years, schizophrenia treatments all targeted the same chemical: dopamine. While that works for some, it causes brutal side effects for others. An antipsychotic drug approved last month by the FDA changes that. It triggers muscarinic receptors instead of dopamine receptors. The drug is the result of a chance scientific finding ...
Read more »
First-of-its-kind therapeutic art and music therapy program launches inside Arizona prisonLATEST FROM ABC15's KALEY O'KELLEY:
Read more »
T-Mobile launches first-of-a-kind 5G connectivity device with a special introductory discountAnam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications.
Read more »
Samsung's groundbreaking Galaxy Ring scores a first-of-a-kind Amazon discount (or three)Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem.
Read more »