Officially named Advhena magnifica, or magnificent alien, this new glass sponge species found in the deep Pacific Ocean looks a lot like an alien from a Hollywood movie.
NOAAThe glass spongeAdvhena magnificawhich means ‘ splendid alien , ’ in its natural habitat in the Pacific .
Miles into the depths of the Pacific Ocean , off the southwestern sea-coast of Hawaii , marine life scientist encounter a being that look as if it had come from space rather than the ocean floor .
A squad of IE in 2016 collected a biologic sample of the peculiar sea puppet which appeared to be some eccentric of glass sponge or hexactinellid , brute that impound themselves to hard surfaces and quarry on small bacteria and plankton that make pass by in the waters .
NOAAThe glass spongeAdvhena magnificawhich means ‘magnificent alien,’ in its natural habitat in the Pacific.
But this ice sponge was especially unusual . It had an elongate thin body like a beanstalk and a bulbous school principal . The head word had holes in the middle that looked like a pair of exotic eye .
As it turned out , it was an wholly new species and genus of glass parazoan . Although the outlander - like animal wasgiventhe prescribed soubriquet ofAdvhena magnifica , its extraterrestrial visual aspect has scientists calling it the “ E.T. parazoan . ”
Glass Sponge Discovered In The ‘Forest Of The Weird’
NMNHThe foreign - looking hexactinellid has been nickname the “ E.T. sponge ” because it remind scientists of the pop photographic film .
It all began during a2017 expeditionby the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) aboard the Okeanos Explorer ship . A squad of deep - sea explorers examined a prehistorical country stretching 1.5 miles across the eastern Pacific Ocean seafloor mightily off the coast of Hawaii .
The landscape dates back to the Cretaceous Period between 65.5 to 145.5 million years ago and is a seabed of extraordinary species largely unsung to humans . During the outing , the squad used remotely operate fomite ( ROV ) dive and perform seafloor mapping operations to better interpret the subaquatic ecosystem .
NMNHThe alien-looking hexactinellid has been nicknamed the “E.T. sponge” because it reminded scientists of the popular film.
In addition to the geologic mapping of the seabed , the squad also collect a full mixed bag of biologic specimens from corals , anemone , ocean superstar , amphipod , and more . Among the 73 biologic samples they amass , the team found just about 44 of the specimens were likely antecedently nameless species .
Forest of the Weird
While explore " Ridge " Seamount during the 2017 Laulima O Ka Moana : Exploring Deep Monument water Around Johnston Atoll pleasure trip , NOAA ’s remotely operated vehicle Deep Discoverer encounter this infinite - exotic - like residential district compile almost entirely of glass poriferan with their concave sides directed towards the stream . .. Amongst these sponges was a quick study that bore a striking resemblance to the extraterrestrial from the moving-picture show , E.T. : The redundant - sublunary . This beautiful " E.T. sponge " has been discovered by NOAA Fisheries Service scientists to be a new genus and specie : Advhena magnifica , Latin for “ splendid outlander . ” .. take about the discovery here : https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/news/oer-updates/2020/sponge-discovery.html
Cristiana Castello BrancoCristiana Castello Branco, a postdoctoral researcher at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, was first to identify the new species.
post byNOAA Ocean Explorationon Thursday , July 9 , 2020
The vast biodiversity that the ship ’s squad encountered also include a community of strange sponge - corresponding creatures that covered the seabed . Chris Mah of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History ( NMNH ) dub the unusual poriferan - loaded seascape the “ Forest of the Weird . ”
These stalky sea sponge that look eerily similar to the alien character in the filmE.T.would later be identified as glass sponges and were find 7,875 feet below the sea ’s surface .
SEM image courtesy of Cristiana Castello Branco; illustration by Nick Bezio.Using an electron microscope, scientists created the image on the left showing the sponge’s spicules in detail. Because the spicules can be very delicate, an artist created the rendering on the right to flesh out the full structure.
But the 2017 outing was n’t the first metre scientists had come upon the sponge creatures . In fact , a research worker had been studying anA. magnificasample since a year before .
The ‘Magnificent Alien’ E.T. Glass Sponge
Cristiana Castello BrancoCristiana Castello Branco , a postdoctoral research worker at the Smithsonian ’s National Museum of Natural History , was first to identify the new species .
In 2016 , a five - minute deep - ocean expedition locate miles to the west near the Mariana Trench had collected a sample distribution of the glass sponge creature .
It was send to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History ( NMNH ) for saving and further bailiwick by researchers . Among the experts examining the excursion ’s bounty of samples was Cristiana Castello Branco , a postdoctoral researcher work on under the NOAA Fisheries National Systematics Laboratory at NMNH .
Branco was credited with the find ofA. magnificawhich many have lovingly dubbed the “ E.T. sponger . ”
In its instinctive habitat , the E.T. sponge latch onto the seafloor as if it is growing out like a bonce sprout . It has a long stalky body topped off by a chief featuring cavernous holes that reckon like eyes peer back at the observer .
Like other trash sponges , the E.T. sponger ’s body contains glass - same structure call spicule that are made out of silica . These structures form a variety of outer - skeleton and give the sponges their unparalleled , sculptural appearance .
SEM image courtesy of Cristiana Castello Branco ; illustration by Nick Bezio . Using an electron microscope , scientists created the image on the leftfield indicate the leech ’s spicules in detail . Because the spicules can be very delicate , an artist make the rendering on the right to flesh out the full structure .
Branco said she first came upon the unidentifiedhexactinellidspecies while research various Bolosoma , a type of genus that was the focal point of her postdoctoral dissertation . But she quickly realized that the peculiar - reckon sponge sampling bore no resemblance to any other known hexactinellid coinage .
After it was confirmed to be a raw coinage and new genus of glass sponger , Branco had the purity of naming the creature . The new species was announced in July 2020 .
“ We normally endeavor to tie in the name to something unique about that coinage , or we can respect someone , the expedition name , or a neck of the woods , ” Branco explained of her name choice . “ In the case ofAdvhena magnifica , the shape of this sponge is reminiscent of an alien , like in the motion-picture show , with what looks like a farsighted thin neck , an elongated head , and huge eyes . ”
Advhena , Branco explained , was from the Latin wordadvenawhich mean alien but in the sense of a see alien or foreign being rather than extraterrestrial , though the creature ’s appearance sure as shooting subsist up to that definition as well . Thus , the remarkable sea creature was list “ splendid outlander . ”
“ While we have n’t ‘ officially ’ give it a uncouth name in our paper , ‘ E.T. quick study ’ seems to outfit , ” Branco said .
Now that you ’ve larn about this fascinating new hexactinellid species , check outthe ‘ haired sea ogre ’ with no head or eye that wash up on a Russian beachand take a look at thismind - bending jellyfish species captured shape - shifting at 2,500 feet below the Pacific .
