Athree - week expeditionto a previously unexplored stretch of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument ( PRIMNM ) of late turned up a noteworthy find as researchers stumbled across a Pacific Ocean ocean pen for the first time . The colonialcnidarianisn’t actually an beast , but a dependency of animals live together in what looks like aDemogorgonapartment complex .

“ At 2,994 meters [ 9,820 feet ] on a never - before - appraise seamount northward of Johnston Atoll , the team make out an beast for the very first time in the Pacific Ocean , ” allege Ocean Exploration Trust , NOAA , Nautilus Live in a financial statement e-mail to IFLScience .

“ The sea pen , a compound cnidarian , had a single large feeding polyp with pinnate ( barbed ) tentacles stretching over 40 centimeters [ 16 inches ] from its 2 - meter - long [ 6.5 - ft ] stalk . ”

cruise on the remotely operated vehicle ( ROV)Atalanta and Hercules , the investigator piloting got the pleasure of witnessingSolumbellula monocephalusin the flesh , an observation that until now had only been made in the North and South Atlantic and Indian Oceans . Whether the coelenterate correspond the first of the species find in the Pacific , or a young species all , remains to be find , but it sure makes for one pit of a video .

“ With the ROVʻs television camera , the team had some beautiful airless - ups of this coral relative on an unnamed subaqueous mountain sedimented bicycle seat , ” said Nautilus Live . “ We were astounded with a detailed perspective of its edged feeding tentacles that entrance maritime snow and food corpuscle drifting by . ”

The research worker were treat to not just one but two individuals on their Pacific excursion , indicating that there live a universe of these alien creatures which falls under the protection of the Johnston Unit of PRIMNM .

The ocean saddle horse at this situation are estimate to be between 70 and 100 million years honest-to-god , and through their explorations , the team at Nautilus Live hope to get a clearer scene of the biodiversity within the region and learn more about how it was formed .

Hungry for more ocean quirk ?   you could follow the Nautilus Live Ocean Exploration Trust ’s expeditions via live cyclosis atwww.NautilusLive.org .