Deep-sea scientists have shared footage of a strange deep-sea creature with a magical 'invisibility shield', but warned that its special talent for hide-and-seek won’t protect it from human harm.
“Life in the Twilight Zone is a constant game of hide and seek," says MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Institute). "This animal combines invisible armour and giant eyes for a winning strategy."
The critter in question is a crystal amphipod (Cystisoma spp.). This shrimp-like animal can grow to the size of a human hand, reaching a maximum length of 15cm. It swims through the open ocean in the deep sea, down to a maximum depth of 1,500 metres.
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Other amphipods that swim through open waters often hitch a ride on animals such as jellyfish. This gives them some protection from predators. But this Cystisoma has its own way of staying safe.
“This living jewel has become completely transparent,” says MBARI. They have a see-through exoskeleton that allows them to sneak past predators without being seen and becoming a snack.
But this clever invisibility cloak might not be enough to protect them from humans. "The crystal amphipod faces a fragile future. As industries look to the deep seafloor for mining precious metals, even animals living far above the bottom are at risk,” says MBARI. “Mining these metals will release plumes of dirty wastewater into the ocean's twilight zone, interfering with their invisible superpower.”
Main image: crystal amphipod/MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute)
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