This is gonna have to be a quick post, I've got a whole lot going on today!
This past week I went to an exhibit about bioluminescence.
The museum itself was incredibly disappointing; (a rant for another time.)
But I did find one creature(s) there that caught my fancy.
Just to start out, look at how gorgeous these guys are!
There are a lot about these creatures that I am still trying to understand, they are incredibly complex. But let's start with the basics.
Siphonophores belong to the cnidaria. This group also consists of corals and jellyfish. They are found in the ocean, some at greater depths than others. They are gelatinous and fragile, extraordinarily easy to break apart.
These guys are giant. They can reach up to 130 feet in length, which is longer than a blue whale!
They are bioluminescent, using their light show as an alarm to ward of predators.
Now here's the kicker: this isn't actually just one organism at all! It is a giant living rope created by hundreds of tiny co-dependent and colonized zooids.
The crazy thing is that these zooids have become so specialized that they could not live without each other. Some of them are in charge of propulsion, others eating, others reproduction, etc. without the abilities of each specific zooid, the colony as a whole would die off. None can do the job of another.
Some of these structures have exclusively male colonies, some exclusively female, and some are comprised of both.
These zooids are attached in a very specific pattern along the stem. You can see that here:
There is something that always gets me about organisms that work together to become a larger organism. This reminded me in some ways of the reproduction habits of the anglerfish, where the male attaches to the female and in essence becomes her parasite- relying on her for survival through their shared circulatory system.
Siphonophores have confused scientists for a long time because of the debate about their "individuality." Ecologically, these function as one individual organism. In other ways however, each part of the siphonophore can be seen as an individual.
This little post is just the beginning of a whole lot of information about these astounding creatures. More info can be found HERE
This past week I went to an exhibit about bioluminescence.
The museum itself was incredibly disappointing; (a rant for another time.)
But I did find one creature(s) there that caught my fancy.
Just to start out, look at how gorgeous these guys are!
Siphonophores belong to the cnidaria. This group also consists of corals and jellyfish. They are found in the ocean, some at greater depths than others. They are gelatinous and fragile, extraordinarily easy to break apart.
These guys are giant. They can reach up to 130 feet in length, which is longer than a blue whale!
They are bioluminescent, using their light show as an alarm to ward of predators.
Now here's the kicker: this isn't actually just one organism at all! It is a giant living rope created by hundreds of tiny co-dependent and colonized zooids.
The crazy thing is that these zooids have become so specialized that they could not live without each other. Some of them are in charge of propulsion, others eating, others reproduction, etc. without the abilities of each specific zooid, the colony as a whole would die off. None can do the job of another.
Some of these structures have exclusively male colonies, some exclusively female, and some are comprised of both.
These zooids are attached in a very specific pattern along the stem. You can see that here:
Siphonophores have confused scientists for a long time because of the debate about their "individuality." Ecologically, these function as one individual organism. In other ways however, each part of the siphonophore can be seen as an individual.
This little post is just the beginning of a whole lot of information about these astounding creatures. More info can be found HERE
