Free floating invert

[PhilC]

1 to 1.5 inches in length. The spots seemed to change colors from white to light tan but this is the only picture that came out. It seemed to swim by squirming like a worm. No visible mouth or internal body parts, if it weren't for the squirming I'd guess some sort of egg but I'm 80% certain it was moving on it's own. 18 feet depth safety stop on a morning dive in open water above the wall drop off. Off Turneffe Attoll at a site called Little Calabash in Belize.

 

[jmani]

Isn't it obvious? It's SpaceBalls.

Ok Really. Somebody figure this out I'm so curious, and I fear that it will get answered after it falls off my radar.

 

[Diver0001]

Are you sure it was moving and not just being moved around by the current?

It could be some kind of a ctenophore but I've never seen anything quite like it. Maybe start there.

R..

 

[PhilC]

Are you sure it was moving and not just being moved around by the current?

It could be some kind of a ctenophore but I've never seen anything quite like it. Maybe start there.

R..

I'd say that I'm 80% sure it was moving on it's own but I could have been causing the motion when I was trying to get pictures. While trying to get shots with the camera and then point it out to my wife it definitely seemed to be squirming but we both discussed that maybe water motion was causing it. I have a couple of other pictures that aren't in crisp focus that seem to show it squirming away from the camera. I'll try to get the other pictures uploaded even though they aren't as clear. I don't think it quite fits my understanding of the ctenophores, don't they all have cilia? Definitely no cilia on this bugger. I did get an almost in focus and off-centered shot of a sea walnut (dang transparent things are hard to photograph) on that same dive during the safety stop as well so they were definitely in the area.

 

[Diver0001]

I'd say that I'm 80% sure it was moving on it's own but I could have been causing the motion when I was trying to get pictures.

Yeah, well the reason I was asking is because my first thought was that it was eggs.

But I slept through biology class and I can't help you much more than that.

R..

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Some kind of salp? It will be really difficult to make an ID without an in-focus macro shot.
Eggs surrounded by some sort of gelatinous substance isn't a bad guess either.

 

[smellzlikefish]

My guess is salp, too. It almost looks like Pyrosoma atlanticum, but not quite.

 

[drbill]

I taught biology class (and rarely slept through it) and my guess would be a salp as well.