Divers in Australia have captured rare images of the
Pyrostremma spinosum, or pyrosome, sea creature
off the coast of Tasmania.
It is so rare it has been dubbed the 'Unicorn of the
Sea' and can grow up to 30 metres long - the
equivalent of two double-decker buses laid end-to-
end.
Its hollow, translucent, cylindrical body is made up of
thousands of tiny clones called zooids that pull water
through its tubes and feed on plankton before
pushing the filtered water back out.
Divers from the Eaglehawk Dive Centre in
Australia, including Michael Baron, have
captured rare images of the Pyrostremma
spinosum sea creature, pictured, that can
reach 30 metres in length. Its translucent
cylindrical body is made up of thousands of
tiny filter-feeding creatures called zooids
The zooids are each connected by tissue and move as
one inside the pyrosome's tube structure and each
zooid is a few millimetres in size.
Also called a sea squirt, the pyrosomes are classed as
pelagic, which means they are free-swimming and
live in open water rather than near land.
This means they are rarely spotted and only diving
groups are likely to catch a glimpse of the giant
creatures
The zooids are each connected by tissue and move as
one inside the pyrosome's tube structure and each
zooid is a few millimetres in size.
Also called a sea squirt, the pyrosomes are classed as
pelagic, which means they are free-swimming and
live in open water rather than near land.
This means they are rarely spotted and only diving
groups are likely to catch a glimpse of the giant
creatures.
The long tube consists of a pointed end with a hole
on the other that can be as wide as two metres.
Each pyrosome feasts on plankton and according to
Rebecca Helm from Deep Sea News, it is a cross
between the Borg in ‘Star Trek’ and a clone in ‘Star
Wars.’
Helm said: 'They’re giant, terrifying looking, and
trolling through the depths of the ocean, waiting for
you to swim in one end and get stuck. Maybe. But
fortunately, in addition to being slow moving filter
feeders, they’re also delicate and fluffy.'
The pyrosome is so delicate one diver is said to have
even described it like a feather boa.
The zooids, pictured, are each connected by
tissue and move as one inside the pyrosome's
tube structure. They pull water through the
hole at the end of the pyrosome and feed on
plankton before pushing the filtered water back out
Michael Baron from from Eaglehawk Dive Centre recorded the footage of the giant creature off the Tasman Peninsula in Tasmania, Australia. He said it was one of the few areas in the world where a wide range of 'oceanic gelatinous plankton' comes close to shore.
Baron also managed to film salps that are similar to pyrosomes but
the individuals inside it are much larger than the zooids inside the
pyrosome.
According to Eaglehawk Dive Centre's YouTube page: 'Salps have much larger individuals than pyrosomes, individuals pump water through themselves.
Colonies are formed of chains of individuals. Salps can form very high densities under good conditions, and are an important oceanic food source for fish.
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