SECRETS OF THE DEEP

Researchers Capture Terrifying Footage of Rare Underwater Monster

Living in the crushing dark of the deep ocean, the seldom-spotted leviathan can measure well over 33 feet long.

Scientists have captured rare video footage of a giant phantom jellyfish gliding through the crushing dark of deep waters off the coast of Argentina. The video was taken by remotely operated vehicles deployed by the California-based Schmidt Ocean Institute in a remote submarine canyon, offering researchers a chance to study a creature otherwise normally found far below the reach of sunlight. Experts say the creature can grow up to 33 feet long and almost 4 feet wide, with a body that appears almost otherworldly as it drifts through the darkness. Sightings of this phantom jellyfish are exceptionally uncommon, with only around a hundred recorded since it was first documented over a century ago in 1899. Its rare appearances mean researchers have limited knowledge about the creature, which was not officially classified as a distinct species until nearly sixty years after its initial discovery. Sightings have since been reported in every ocean except the Arctic, with the highest concentration recorded in the Southern Ocean off the coasts of Antarctica.