Mysterious Ocean Blob Found for First Time in a Century
Scientists have identified a weird mass found off California.
Scientists have confirmed the finding of a strange, elusive creature that hasn't been conclusively seen since it was first described in 1900.
The mysterious, blob-like animal was collected by a remotely operated vehicle deep in California's Monterey Bay by scientists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. The translucent, tadpole-shaped creature itself is about three and a half inches long.
However, the animal was surrounded by a "house" of protein and cellulose that was several feet across. A type of larvacean, the creature produces these disposable houses to trap tiny food particles in the water and filter them inward. When the house's filters get clogged, the animal discards it and forms a new one, sometimes in a matter of hours. (
