Giant siphonophore
Praya spp
- Not on exhibit
- Animal type
- Invertebrates
- Ecosystem
- Deep sea
- Relatives
- Other siphonophores; Order: Calycophora
- Diet
- Small crustaceans, other gelatinous animals, maybe fish larvae and small fishes
- Range
- Pelagic midwater
- Size
- Up to 130 feet long (40 m); body only as thick as a broomstick
Meet the giant siphonophore
Siphonophores are a collection of highly specialized working parts called zooids. Some zooids catch prey, while others digest food; some parts reproduce, while others take charge of swimming. The giant siphonophore is bioluminescent, meaning they create their own light. When startled, they glow with bright blue light.
Life history
A single siphonophore is actually a colonial animal made up of a string of zooids that are arranged in a distinct pattern. Zooids are specialized animals that are part of a larger colony, developing through budding or division.
Each zooid has their own part to play in the larger colony, with specialities like swimming, reproduction, feeding, and defense. Each type of zooid is dependent on the others for their collective survival, functioning together to form a single organism. Giant siphonophore zooids continue to bud throughout the lifecycle, adding new zooids over time so the chain grows longer and longer.
Traversing the twilight zone
The giant siphonophore takes part in the largest animal migration on earth twice per day–a phenomenon known as diel vertical migration. Each night, billions of animals migrate from the ocean’s twilight zone to the ocean’s surface to feed under the cover of darkness. Then, as the sun rises, these deep-sea voyagers return to their home in the depths.
At the very tip of the giant siphonophore is a gas-filled structure called a pneumatophore that helps this colonial creature undertake this long journey to the surface to feed. gas expands as pressure alleviates. Gas is released from the pneumatophore to help the giant siphonophore adjust to these conditions and control their buoyancy as they swim.
Conversely, the gas in the pneumatophore is compressed as the giant siphonophore dives deeper into the ocean after feeding at the surface at night. They then add air to the pneumatophore chamber to adjust to the increased pressure.
Scientific studies suggest that the pneumatophore may also have sensory functions, such as helping the siphonophore manage orientation and depth.
Conservation
Anything that reaches the ocean, whether it is thrown away as trash, washed from a beach, or falls from a vessel, can end up in the deep sea. This ecosystem is not so far away as to be beyond the reach of human activities. What we do on the surface affects the creatures that live in the depths.
Interesting facts
- This siphonophore can reach lengths of up to 130 feet (40 m)—longer than the blue whale, generally considered the largest animal on Earth. However, the siphonophore's body is not much thicker than a broomstick.
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