A mysterious, 10-centimeter-wide golden orb discovered 3,200 meters below the Gulf of Alaska has been identified after three years of analysis. Scientists confirmed the object, which featured a fibrous, skin-like texture, is a remnant from a giant deep-sea anemone.
NOAA Maps the Walker Seamount
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) team found the specimen during their Seascape Alaska 5 expedition. They used the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Deep Discoverer to complete 19 dives. The team mapped over 28,000 square kilometers of the seafloor. The ROV camera spotted the reflective object attached to a rock on the Walker Seamount.
The golden surface looked entirely out of place against the dark, colorless backdrop of the deep-sea habitat.
Scientists Identify the Genetic Blueprint
The ROV robotic arm collected the sample for transport to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC. Experts there used an integrative taxonomic approach to identify the find.
Microscopic analysis showed the orb’s tissue contained chitin, a substance found in invertebrate structures like beetle wing cases. Spirocyst stinging cells placed the object within the phylum Cnidaria. While initial DNA testing faced complications from exotic micro-organisms, whole genome sequencing later confirmed the material contained genetic links to the giant deep-sea anemone Relicanthus daphneae.
Anemones Leave Behind Ecological Structures
Researchers determined the orb was a cuticle, or a slimy excretion, used by the anemone to anchor itself to rock surfaces. The discovery suggests Relicanthus daphneae may be more mobile than previously believed: the object appeared to be a deliberately abandoned base.
NOAA reports this reproductive cycle might allow a new anemone to grow from the abandoned cuticle. The orb also served as a home for various microbes. These tiny organisms are components of the ocean’s nitrogen cycle. These abandoned cuticles may provide a previously unknown ecological function for deep-sea life.
