Strange Sea Creature Spotted in Curacao???????

[Nivek Llekots]

Anyone know what this is !!!!

I've done many dives in Curacao but never seen this before. At first I thought it was a long tubular plastic bag, but as I got closer it seemed to be organic, it was about 3 meters long and 20 cm in diameter and trapped at the bottom around a tube sponge. Some fish seemed to be feeding on it, and if you zoom in it seems to contain eggs!!!

Anyone got any ideas???????

 

[CuracaoJ]

Hey Nivek,

I've seen those here in Curacao a few times over the years. Almost always when the weather has been funny like it has been lately, and almost always at Porto Marie. I looked them up the first time I found them, and did get an ID (maybe some kind of Salp, but I could easily be mistaken). If no one else gives you an ID I'll find them when I get to my fish ID books and let you know. Nice find though, they are pretty rare here!

Jeff

 

[Nivek Llekots]

Thanks for the info Jeff, but I thought Salp's only grew to at most 30cm. this thing was a good 3 meters long and about 20cm. across.

---------- Post Merged at 10:37 AM ---------- Previous Post was at 10:33 AM ----------

I found this movie of what appears to be the same creature!!

http://blondesearch.ru/play/QIo58VrnpeA/Weird_Mystery_Giant_Sea_Creature_Great_Barrier_Reef.AVI.html

 

[chillyinCanada]

Squid egg case?

 

[Kilili]

Looks like a Pyrosome.

 

[CT Sean]

That's cool

check this out. the description identifies it as "Pyrostremma spinosum"

[video=youtube;5EQGA_4BZ5s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EQGA_4BZ5s[/video]

 

[stareyehermit]

Nivek’s photo is of a Diamondback Squid egg mass. Scroll down to the middle of this page...
Thysanoteuthis rhombus

Many more images here.....
diamond back squid eggs - Google Search

We saw one here in Bonaire 2 weeks ago, as well!

 

[t-mac]

Cool video!

 

[tahqa]

That video reminds me of "The Abyss"!! :alien:

Honestly, I'd be a little freaked out if I saw one of those while diving.

 

[gustele]

I saw this too about a week ago during an introductory dive. It is definitely not the tube that is shown in the video. As soon as you touch this you go through it. I think Stareyehermit identifies it correctly in his mail as squid eggs. I have seen these several times over the years that I dive in Curaçao.