The creatures of the open ocean are often flashy, in both an abstract and literal sense, thanks to the flickering luminosity of many marine organisms. But maybe more fantastic than glittering squid and glowing, frilled fish are a group of animals that resemble nothing more than globs of gelatin or tangles of twine.
Drifting through the mysterious depths of the water, siphonophores reach surprising lengths, and rule as some of the longest animals in the world.
What Are Siphonophores?
The siphonophores are an order of organisms in the Cnidaria phylum that look like lumps or spirals of string. Found in all oceans and all ocean depths, these animals are abundant and adaptive. And though these organisms seem like loners as they float through the open ocean, a single siphonophore is actually composed of thousands of tiny individuals — called zooids — that are chained together to form functional colonies.
