|
|
 |
 back to episode homepage
|
|
|
Jellies, or medusae, were among the
most prominent midwater organisms that I saw under the ice at McMurdo.
The huge jellyfish (Desmonema glaciale) has a bell that can reach more
than a meter across and just a few, distinctive, cord-like tentacles. I
constantly encountered medusae drifting along with the prevailing
current, but the larger ones such as D. glaciale, which occurs near the
surface, are active swimmers.
Here, marine ecologist Dale Stokes captures
one on video. This jelly has had its thirty-foot long tentacles stripped
away by contact with the seafloor and the numerous predators there.
--Norbert Wu
|
|
|
Previous Photo
