Jelly, Tunicate?

[tswinner]

Anybody know what this thing is? Shot on film in CA, I think at Catalina

Todd

ca249.jpg

(54.55 KiB) Not downloaded yet

[nwscubamom]

Size? Hard to tell scale with that (really nice!) photo there. Is it a few inches long or more like a foot? Was it just drifting or actively swimming?

Enquiring minds want to know...

- Janna

[nwscubamom]

OK, nevermind! I found it in "Pacific Coast Pelagic Invertebrates".(page 84)

It's a Pyrosoma atlanticum! Can be up to 60 cm - about how long was the one you saw?

- Janna

[Leslie Harris]

Not a jelly or exactly a salp but a pyrosome. Pyrosomes & salps are both pelagic tunicates.

[tswinner]

Thanks Janna and Leslie,

It was a long time ago but I think it was about a foot long.
I'm in the process of scanning all my old slide and I keep finding things I haven't seen for a while. I'm hoping for a cool worm for you Leslie.

Thanks,

Todd

[Leslie Harris]

Me too!

[seekncritters]

Wow! What a cool critter! I love how the color of the critter is close to the color of the trim on the diver's drysuit .

-Dana

[scottg]

very cool critter. I haven't seen anything like it yet. Maybe next week!