A mystery from the thick just got a picayune bit less mysterious thanks to the first scientific theme to arise from the Viking Expedition Team . While drifting through Antarctic water , a guest snapped a picture ofStygiomedusa gigantea , normally known as thegiant phantom jellyfish .
Looking a morsel like an errant piece of Halloween bathroom roll teepeeing through the bass , these beasts really live up to their name , stretching to a gargantuan 10 meters ( 30 feet ) in length , and yet since they were named back in 1910 only 126 encounters withS. giganteahave been put down . To detect out more about a day in the life of the Viking Expedition Team , we spoke to Chief Scientist of Viking Octantis Dr Daniel Moore about his research and advice for draw a bead on sea explorers .
What was it like find out the giant phantasm jellyfish , Stygiomedusa gigantea ?
Only 126 encounters with the giant phantom jellyfish have been recorded since the species was first described in 1910. Image credit: Antony Gilbert, Viking
The first time I catch the giant specter man-of-war was on the back of a camera when a Edgar Albert Guest , who had been on a submersible nose dive that break of day , wanted to show me a photo of a strange jellyfish they had understand . I instantaneously recognised it for what it was and , given the rarity of sightings , was flood with agitation .
That moment was unbelievably special as it was a moment of knowing that we were conducting real exploration with so much potential for new find . I make love that our submersibles were hold out to be exciting chopine for science , but I had n’t bear results so early on into the first Antarctic season for Viking . As a passionate advocate for citizen scientific discipline , I was almost equally activated that these observation had been made by one of our Edgar Guest ( as have nigh all observations since ) .
Do you have any similarly memorable observations from your fieldwork ?
As jellies go, the giant phantom is pretty leggy, but those long bits are actually “oral arms”. Image credit: Mark Niesink
I ’ve been fortunate in my career so far to transmit science operations in many remote locations and on some rarified species . Seeing the giant phantom jellyfish reminded me a neat deal of where my career start – as a deep - ocean biologist studying unusual shark mintage , rule a stat mi below the surface of our ocean . These sharks are typically dark in coloring , have large unripe eyes and incredible version – such as beingbioluminescentor deadly . Being able to see these fauna that so few people have the opportunity to witness is a tangible prerogative .
What are you work on next ?
As we fetch up off our clock time in the Southern Hemisphere , we ’ll relocate the Viking Polaris to the Great Lakes region . This theodolite N is a big opportunity to publish up our datum from Antarctica and understand more in full what we have discovered . The undertaking I am most excited about is one that again , comes from our submersibles and where all of our data come from our incredible invitee onboard .
One of the submersibles used by the Viking Expedition Team. Image courtesy of Viking
During this preceding Antarctic time of year , we have been asking our guests to take photographs of the ocean floor wherever they dive . These are area of the sea floor that no human being has ever seen before . We are now examine these photograph to empathise differences in diverseness and residential area structure between different sea bottom habitats around the south-polar peninsula . I make out that all of this data comes from Viking guests – they are each make a valuable contribution to our understanding of these amazing habitats that are 150 - 300 meters [ 492 - 984 feet ] below the surface . I ’d call that uttermost citizen science !
What advice would you give to someone wanting to espouse in your footsteps ?
I get asked this query a lot and it can be a tough one to answer as there is no set path to becoming a nautical biologist on dispatch . You ’ll need a stage and belike a sea captain ’s stage in Marine Biology but that is only the offset . It is a competitive field of honor , so volunteer and gaining flying field experience is lively .
Beyond that , take a passion for the matter and keeping that alive as you progress is really cardinal . I find the best way to do this is to stress and transmit that curiosity we all have as nipper and ask yourself questions about the rude macrocosm . Why does an animal do that ? How does an animal find its food or avoid predators ?
It ’s also significant to take moments to just enjoy the marvel of nature and feel inspired by the things we see and the places we chew the fat on expedition .
