Cnidarian · siphonophore

Orange siphonophore

Marrus orthocanna

PacificAtlanticIndianSouthernArctic Found in 3 oceans

Depth

Mostly between 200 and 800 m, observed down to about 2,000 m

Size

Colony about 2 m

Diet

Copepods, krill, small crustaceans, perhaps small fish

Zone

Twilight zone · 200 – 1,000 m

Key facts

• It is not a single animal but a colony of specialized individuals, all from the same egg.
• Each feeding polyp unfurls a 30 to 50 cm tentacle to trap its prey.
• Its swimming bells beat together. The colony can move forward, backward or sideways.
• In the Canada Basin, siphonophores of this type were seen more than 1,300 times by a robot, mostly between 300 and 500 m.

Verified sources

1. Aquarium of the Pacific : Pelagic siphonophore (Marrus orthocanna)
2. Raskoff et al. 2010, Jellies under ice (NOAA Ocean Exploration)

In the game: Mild danger: stings

In the same zone

Giant warty squidMoroteuthopsis longimana (formerly Kondakovia longimana) Ice anemoneEdwardsiella andrillae Black prince copepodGaussia princeps Crystal amphipodCystisoma sp. Müller’s pearlsideMaurolicus muelleri Oceanic lightfishVinciguerria nimbaria