Scientists Just Spotted This Alien Jellyfish Creature in the Mariana Trench

Impact

Scientists have just discovered a bizarre type of jellyfish that looks like it belongs on another world. 

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Its body is illuminated in red and yellow, while short and long tentacles dangle below it:

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NOAA

Scientists stumbled upon the jellyfish when they sent a remotely operated vehicle down into the deepest part of the world's oceans, the Mariana Trench. 

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It's so deep that if you dropped Mount Everest into the trench, its peak would still sit more than a mile underwater

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We don't know much about this area because it's hard to explore such a deep environment. 

Scientists captured video footage of the jellyfish at a depth of about 12,140 feet. It belongs to the genus Crossota and it has two sets of tentacles. In the video, the jellyfish has its long tentacles extended while its body stays still. That behavior suggests it hunts by ambushing its prey, according to the researchers.

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The jellyfish has a mysterious home.

They found the jellyfish while exploring an area of the Mariana Trench nicknamed "Enigma Seamount" because scientists know so little about it.

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This dive was part of a mission called the 2016 Deepwater Exploration of the Marianas. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and a number of partner organizations will explore the depths of the Mariana Trench from April 20 to July 10.

Who knows what other mysterious deep-sea creatures we'll find.