Scientists were left scratching their heads when they discovered the unidentified “blue goo”, deep-sea creature, on the Caribbean seafloor.
During a Live streamingThe expedition was a discussion between team members, who discussed the possible gloopyglobules, but none of them could provide a definitive answer.
Researchers operating remotely from a vehicle (ROV), spotted multiple blue goo creatures on Aug. 30, near St. Croix in the U.S Virgin Islands.
The mysterious blobs, which were motionless and found on the seafloor at a depth of 1,335 to 2,005 feet (404 and 611 meters), below the water’s surface, were discovered.
Researchers piloted the ROV aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), research vessel Okeanos Explorer. This vessel has spent the past four months exploring sections of the North Atlantic as part NOAA’s “Voyage to the Ridge 2022” exploration series.
Like every other dive in these expeditions the footage was also live streamed from NOAA so deep-sea fans around the globe could enjoy it.
Researchers began to discuss the possibility of spotting the blue creature during the live stream.
Some observers noted that it was likely to either be a soft coral or sponge, and potentially even a tunicate – gelatinous marine invertebrates that are sometimes referred to as sea squirts.
The team suggested many possible nicknames including “bumpy Blue Thing”, “blue Biomat”, and even “blue Goo”.
Related: In 2021, 10 strange creatures were discovered in deep seas
The members of the expedition could not agree on what this mysterious creature was.
One researcher laughed, “I can tell it’s not rock, but that is as far as my imagination can take me,” he said.
Another notable sighting is a greeneye fish.Chlorophthalmidae), a hatchetfish (Sternoptychidae), a beardfish (Polymixia), a glass sponge (Hexactinellida), bamboo coral (IsididaeAccording to NOAA, it is a fossilized coral reef that was once home to the sea urchin orgy.
The team will now attempt to figure out the mystery blue goo.
The researchers stated that they would transmit images and videos of the dive to sponge and coral experts in order to identify the mysterious blobs.
This is not an easy task considering there are more than 2,000 varieties of soft corals according to The World Register of Marine SpeciesAccording to Wikipedia, there are around 8.500 species of sponges. NOAAAccording to the, there are around 3,000 types of tunicates. Smithsonian Ocean Institute.
Scientists stated that if experts cannot identify the species, then “the mystery will continue until a sample is collected.”
The team thinks that this gooey mystery is the perfect example of what makes these expeditions so fun and important – for viewers and scientists alike.
One researcher said, “There’s always at most one thing that shocks you.”
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This article was first published by Live Science. Please read the Original article available here.
