Iridescent red ctenophore! Nautilus live

On one of the first dives of our expedition exploring the Pacific Outlying Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM) south of Johnston Atoll, the Corps of Exploration was delighted to spot this magnificent red ctenophore reflecting the lights of the ROV Hercules. These comb jellies are the largest animals capable of swimming using cilia – eight rows of comb plates made of fine hairs beating together rhythmically. Watch this invertebrate shine as brightly as a ruby lit up like fireworks in the depths of the ocean.

Located in the central Pacific Ocean, between the Hawaiian Islands and the Line Islands, Johnston Atoll is one of the most isolated atolls in the world. Around the atoll, the PRIMNM manages a massive habitat of deep seamounts and ridges that are little explored to date. Biodiversity observations like this contribute to the understanding of this protected region, guiding cooperative management and conservation by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

Learn more about this NOAA Ocean Exploration-funded expedition through the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute: https://nautl.us/3Hx5pZE

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