The Silky Medusa, properly named Colobonema sericeum, is a luminous creature, glowing blue with delicate arms ending in white. I’ve chosen to depict the hydrozoan drifting gently in the deep ocean just over its scientific name. This hydrozoan is a bathypelagic animal, meaning it’s found in the midnight zone of the ocean.
Name: Colobonema sericeum
Described: In 1902 by Vanhöffen, E.
Distribution: Antarctic Ocean; Atlantic Ocean; Indo-Pacific Ocean; Arctic Ocean
Size: grows up to 2.5 cm
Notes: The Silky Medusa has 32 tentacles. Scientists have observed them with tentacles of different lengths which suggests they can drop them when necessary, i.e. in order to confuse a predator. This hydrozoan is an ambush predator, drifting motionless with tentacles outspread, waiting for prey.
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