In the days leading up to Halloween, it can be fun to reflect on the creepier aspects of life. Fortunately, the vast, dark expanses of the ocean hold no shortage of spine-tingling life forms and environments bubbling deep under the surface.
This #MicroMonday, enjoy this scream-inducing close-up of a zooplankton that our Sea Change Semester students collected during a nighttime net tow on Allen Island last month.
The tow was conducted under cover of darkness with Senior Research Scientist Nick Record, and the students looked at samples on the big screen connected to the microscope.
Based on the time of year and the location of the plankton tow, this is likely a polychaete larva. These tiny planktonic animals have segmented, mostly transparent bodies with bristles, pigmented eyes, and anterior appendages that give them a ghoulish appearance. Additionally, many species of polychaetes exhibit bioluminescence, meaning they emit light through a chemical process — like jack-o-lanterns of the seas.
The students also collected copepods and other zooplankton in their samples. Check out some of the other creatures form their net tows.
Photo/video credits: Aislyn Keyes, Ella Gibson.
