MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) | A pretty pink color offers clever camouflage for the abyssal comb jelly @MBARIvideo | Uploaded November 2022 | Updated October 2024, 16 hours ago.
The abyssal comb jelly (Beroe abyssicola) patrols the midnight zone searching for its favorite food—other comb jellies. But this predator prowls in dark depths, where most animals can produce bioluminescence. A glowing gut would invite the attention of other predators. The crimson color of this comb jelly’s stomach absorbs the light produced by bioluminescent prey.
MBARI researchers have learned that gelatinous animals like Beroe have a large impact on deep-sea food webs. Our archive of nearly 28,000 hours of deep-sea video contains hundreds of observations of deep-sea animals feeding. Examining these observations in detail revealed that jellies, comb jellies, and siphonophores are important as both predators and prey in the ocean’s midnight zone.
Learn more about these pretty, pink jellies: mbari.org/animal/abyssal-comb-jelly
Explore MBARI’s Animals of the Deep gallery: mbari.co/AnimalsOfTheDeep
Common name: abyssal comb jelly
Scientific name: Beroe abyssicola
Reported depth range: surface to 2,800 meters (9,200 feet)
Size: 7 centimeters (almost 3 inches)
Editor: Ted Blanco
Script writer: Raúl Nava
Production team: Larissa Lemon, Kyra Schlining, Nancy Jacobsen Stout, Susan von Thun
For more information see:
Choy, C.A., S.H.D. Haddock, and B.H. Robison (2017). Deep pelagic food web structure as revealed by in situ feeding observations. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 284: 20172116. doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2017.2116
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The abyssal comb jelly (Beroe abyssicola) patrols the midnight zone searching for its favorite food—other comb jellies. But this predator prowls in dark depths, where most animals can produce bioluminescence. A glowing gut would invite the attention of other predators. The crimson color of this comb jelly’s stomach absorbs the light produced by bioluminescent prey.
MBARI researchers have learned that gelatinous animals like Beroe have a large impact on deep-sea food webs. Our archive of nearly 28,000 hours of deep-sea video contains hundreds of observations of deep-sea animals feeding. Examining these observations in detail revealed that jellies, comb jellies, and siphonophores are important as both predators and prey in the ocean’s midnight zone.
Learn more about these pretty, pink jellies: mbari.org/animal/abyssal-comb-jelly
Explore MBARI’s Animals of the Deep gallery: mbari.co/AnimalsOfTheDeep
Common name: abyssal comb jelly
Scientific name: Beroe abyssicola
Reported depth range: surface to 2,800 meters (9,200 feet)
Size: 7 centimeters (almost 3 inches)
Editor: Ted Blanco
Script writer: Raúl Nava
Production team: Larissa Lemon, Kyra Schlining, Nancy Jacobsen Stout, Susan von Thun
For more information see:
Choy, C.A., S.H.D. Haddock, and B.H. Robison (2017). Deep pelagic food web structure as revealed by in situ feeding observations. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 284: 20172116. doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2017.2116
Follow MBARI on social media:
Facebook: facebook.com/MBARInews
Twitter: twitter.com/MBARI_News
Instagram: instagram.com/mbari_news
Tumblr: mbari-blog.tumblr.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/monterey-bay-aquarium-research-institute-mbari
And now, TikTok: tiktok.com/@mbari_news
