At a depth of nearly 700 meters below the sea, a remotely operated vehicle captured the swift predation of a sea anemone using its tentacles.
Sea anemone capturing a sea bug. (Video: EVNautilus).
A team of experts aboard the Nautilus research vessel from the nonprofit organization Ocean Exploration Trust utilized a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) named Hercules to explore the Nafanua volcano cone of the submerged Vailulu’u volcano in the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa. They encountered a surprising scene while observing sea anemones at a depth of 688 meters, IFL Science reported on September 24.
The footage shows that initially, the researchers were delighted to observe the beautiful pink sea anemones. However, they quickly shifted to astonishment as a nearby sea bug became a fast meal for one of the anemones. The predator extended its tentacles to capture the bug, leaving it no chance to escape.
Despite their unusual appearance, sea anemones are indeed animals and quite formidable predators. They are closely related to corals and jellyfish and possess tentacles containing venom to capture fish or other prey that come too close. Observations such as those from ROV Hercules can help scientists better understand the relationships between species living in these remote underwater areas.
Sea anemones are indeed animals and quite formidable predators
The bug in the video actually belongs to the order Isopoda, which includes over 10,000 species of crustaceans. Despite their varying sizes, species in this order share common characteristics such as two pairs of antennae and a body divided into seven segments, each with its own pair of legs. Not only living underwater, many isopod species also inhabit land, such as termites.
Vailulu’u is a significant site in the South Pacific, located 3,700 kilometers from Hawaii and 2,414 kilometers from northeastern New Zealand. The research team hopes to gain further insights into the biological, geological, and chemical characteristics of such deep-sea volcanic environments.
