Praya dubia

Taxobox
name = "Praya dubia"


regnum = Animalia
phylum = Cnidaria
classis = Hydrozoa
ordo = Siphonophora
familia = Prayidae
genus = "Praya"
species = "P. dubia"
binomial = "Praya dubia"
binomial_authority = (Quoy & Gaimard, 1827)

"Praya dubia", or the Giant siphonophore, is a deep sea creature (700 m to 1000 m below sea level), a relative of the more familiar jellies. With a body length of 40–50m, "Praya dubia" is one of the largest invertebrates on the planet, longer even than the Blue Whale, which is known for reaching lengths of 30 meters. These fantastic animals explode into unrecognizable pieces when removed from their liquid element, where the average pressure is above 0.47 tons/cm². "Praya dubia" has been known since the nineteenth century, but its incredible length was discovered only after the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) undertook the systematic study of the water column in 1987. Sometimes referred to as the swimming bell, this jellyfish has a dome-like section as well as a long thin sensory organs. Its body is whitish and transparent. As a creature, it is made up of numerous small specimens gathered together. Each one of them has a specific function, such feeding, attack and defense, and takes on a form that suits its function.

Nutrition

"Praya dubia" attracts its prey by blue bioluminescent light.

References

* The Deep; The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London (2007)
* [http://www.ecologycenter.org/terrain/article.php?id=13211 Terrain, the deep next door]
* [http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/classification/path/Praya_dubia.html "Praya dubia" at the Animal Diversity Web]
* [http://www.lifesci.ucsb.edu/~biolum/organism/pictures/praya.html 'Praya dubia information]