Bathyphysa conifera

Common card · No. 388208

Bathyphysa conifera, sometimes called the flying spaghetti monster, is a bathypelagic species of siphonophore in the family Rhizophysidae. Sightings have been documented all over the world, but it only officially lives in the North Atlantic Ocean, as far south as Gabon and as far north as France, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. Its common name comes from a satirical deity of the same name after its apparent resemblance. It is a colonial species, having multiple zooids that together comprise a single unit. Each zooid has a specialized function; some help with feeding, some with swimming, reproduction, etc. Including its tentacles, it can reach several meters long. Their tentacles are lined with several nematocysts that provide a sting that defends against predators and helps hunt its prey. It is a carnivore, and, like other siphonophores, eats crustaceans and fish.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Catriona Munro, Stefan Siebert, Felipe Zapata, Mark Howison, Alejandro Damian-Serrano, Samuel H. Church, Freya E.Goetz, Philip R. Pugh, Steven H.D.Haddock, Casey W.Dunn, CC BY 4.0