On the coast of Argentina, scientists made an astonishing discovery: an underwater camera captured a giant jellyfish known as Stygiomedusa gigantea, whose size is comparable to that of a bus. The footage was taken aboard the research vessel Falkor, which was submerged at a depth of about 250 meters during its journey from Buenos Aires to Tierra del Fuego.
According to specialists from the Schmidt Ocean Institute, the tentacles of this jellyfish can reach lengths of up to ten meters, making it one of the largest jellyfish in the world.
This video has become a real sensation, as such jellyfish are extremely rare, and much of the ocean depths remains unexplored. In addition to the stunning footage, the research expedition discovered numerous coral reefs and potentially up to 28 new species of marine organisms, including worms, snails, and sea anemones.
The team traveled along the coast, covering a distance of about 3,000 kilometers from Buenos Aires to Tierra del Fuego. During the expedition, the largest known coral system in the world's oceans was documented, and 28 potentially new species were identified, including sea urchins and corals.
“We were amazed by the diversity of life in the Argentine deep-sea areas, and it was astonishing to see how all of this is thriving,” noted Maria Emilia Bravo, the lead scientist of the expedition representing the University of Buenos Aires.
“Observing ecosystem processes and interactions between species has been a true revelation for us. We have opened a 'window' into the biodiversity of our country, but it is clear that there is still much research ahead,” she added.
The coral reef, which is comparable in size to the territory of Vatican City, is home to a multitude of different organisms, including fish, crustaceans, and octopuses, and extends across the southwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean, with the most significant areas located in Argentine waters.
The giant jellyfish, with tentacles up to 10 meters long and a bell diameter of about one meter, was swimming at a depth of approximately 250–300 meters. Statistics show that in the last 100 years, there have been only about 100 recorded encounters with this species of jellyfish. This phantom jellyfish is a deep-sea predator that is extremely rarely seen by researchers.
Although very little was previously known about this area, the expedition demonstrated its scale. The team discovered coral reefs 600 kilometers south of previously known locations, at a latitude of 43.5 degrees south.
