What Is Siphonophore? Meet the Longest Animal in the World, Longer Than the Blue Whale

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons/IFE, URI-IAO, UW, Lost City Science Party; NOAA/OAR/OER; The Lost City 2005 Expedition)
What Is Siphonophore? Meet the Longest Animal in the World, Longer Than the Blue Whale

The blue whale is the largest animal but not the longest. A string-like marine creature called siphonophore beats blue whales in terms of length.

Siphonophore -- The Longest Animal

In 2020, scientists discovered a long, gelatinous creature floating in a massive spiral approximately 600 meters (2,000 feet) below the surface in an underwater canyon off the coast of Western Australia. It appeared to be a rope in the distance. Nerida Wilson from the Western Australian Museum said, "You couldn't miss it" because "It was enormous."

It was a deep-sea siphonophore, related to blue bottles or Portuguese man o' war, which bob on the water's surface like party balloons and trail tentacles that can be fatal. They believed the one they observed to be a novel species belonging to the genus Apolocemia, known for having tangled feather boa-like appearances.

These kinds of siphonophores are known to feed in a spiral configuration. Many stinging tentacles form a wall of death in the water, ensnaring fish and other tiny victims.

Discovering it was one of those fortuitous meetings frequently occurring in deep-sea studies. The scientists' goal was to investigate deep-sea species, and it was during their two-hour submersible ride back to the research ship Falkor, which was then owned and operated by the Schmidt Ocean Institute, they landed upon this floating jelly.

Live footage from the submersible was shown on screens in different parts of Falkor. Everyone was reportedly fascinated and perplexed when the massive spiral came into view.

To gain a closer look, they barged into the control room. Wilson said it was such a "beautiful energy" as they wondered what it was.

The spiral-shaped siphonophore might be the longest based on approximate calculations using the submersible's track. At 45 meters (150 feet), it may even be the longest animal measured -much longer than a blue whale. At the time, Wilson was apprehensive to declare any world records.

Until recently, it was believed that the blue whale, which can reach lengths of up to 110 feet, was the longest animal on the planet. However, the blue whale's dominance has recently been challenged by siphonophores. Per A-Z Animals, siphonophores are the longest on Earth as they can grow to over 150 feet long, half the length of a football.

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What Is a Siphonophore?

Siphonophores are a strange kind of aquatic predator that resembles jellyfish and sting. They resemble jellyfish in some aspects and are related to the same family of creatures, but their body composition differs, resembling hundreds of microscopic jellyfish adhering to one another. A siphonophore is one organism, though. They have two parents, and Wilson claims that they are "a product of sex."

Instead of developing into a more typical organism with distinct organs, siphonophores comprise discrete components known as zooids. Certain zooids are responsible for reproducing, feeding, moving, and guiding the animal through the water.

"They're just an example of doing things a bit differently," Wilson added. "They're one and they're many."