The creature has a gelatinous hood, a fingered, paddle-like tail, and is bioluminescentthe creature glows.
That makes it a rare example of a bioluminescent nudibranch.
The mystery mollusk brings to mind another famously confusing critter: the platypus.
The “Mystery Mollusk” in the deep sea.Image: © 2014 MBARI
Indeed,when Western scientists first encountered the monotreme, they thought it was a hoax.
caudactyluswasnt so foreign to our mammalian senses to begin with, youd probably react the same way to it.
at the same time, said Steven Haddock, a senior scientist at MBARI, in an instituterelease.
The team found that its bioluminescence comes from glowing granules throughout the creatures hood and its tail.
Dont worrythe animal can regenerate its dactyls.
Only recently have cameras become capable of filming bioluminescence in high-resolution and in full color, Haddock added.
Thats a reflection of the wayB.
caudactylusgoes about life in the deep sea: with the flow, as the animal is neutrally buoyant.
When it swims, it does so slowly.
Sometimes, it moves about the sea by simply drifting.
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