Post by Deinobrontornis on Oct 29, 2011 19:44:09 GMT -5
[a href="Giant Siphonophore - Praya dubia"]Giant Siphonophore - Praya dubia[/a]
Praya dubia, or the Giant Siphonophore, is a deep sea organism (700 m to 1000 m below sea level), a member of the Hydrozoa. With a body length of 40–50 meter (131.2-163.5 ft), Praya dubia is one of the largest invertebrates. It is actually a colony made up of numerous small connected individuals, each with a specific function, such as feeding, attack and defense.
Sometimes referred to as the swimming bell, Praya dubia has a dome-like section (the nectosome) as well as long thin sensory and stinging organs (the siphosome). Its body is whitish and transparent. Praya dubia attracts its prey by blue bioluminescent light. The sting will cause paralysis and/or death.
When raised to the surface these animals burst, as they have a hydrostatic skeleton that normally experiences an average pressure of above 0.47 tons/cm2. Praya dubia has been known since the nineteenth century, but its length was discovered only after the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute undertook a systematic study of the water column in 1987.
Praya dubia, or the Giant Siphonophore, is a deep sea organism (700 m to 1000 m below sea level), a member of the Hydrozoa. With a body length of 40–50 meter (131.2-163.5 ft), Praya dubia is one of the largest invertebrates. It is actually a colony made up of numerous small connected individuals, each with a specific function, such as feeding, attack and defense.
Sometimes referred to as the swimming bell, Praya dubia has a dome-like section (the nectosome) as well as long thin sensory and stinging organs (the siphosome). Its body is whitish and transparent. Praya dubia attracts its prey by blue bioluminescent light. The sting will cause paralysis and/or death.
When raised to the surface these animals burst, as they have a hydrostatic skeleton that normally experiences an average pressure of above 0.47 tons/cm2. Praya dubia has been known since the nineteenth century, but its length was discovered only after the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute undertook a systematic study of the water column in 1987.
