Under the spotlight of a robot, Stygiomedusa gigantea can look like a red curtain floating. Its umbrella exceeds one meter in width, while its four oral arms, in the form of ribbons, can exceed ten meters. The spectacular size, however, does not make the species easy to meet.
The first specimen was collected in 1899, but its recognition as a new species took about sixty years. The MBARI teams have conducted thousands of dives with their robots while reporting, in their presentation of this species, only a small number of observations.
During an exploration of the Gulf of California, a robot filmed a fish near the jellyfish, passing in particular between its arms. This meeting helps to understand how gelatinous animals can offer a refuge in the open water. It does not solve all the questions about the giant: even an animal of this dimension can keep much of its life out of our sight.
What we know
Possible dimensions; no supposed diet presented as certainty nor contemporary counter of observations.
To go to the source
References consulted on 3 October 2026. Linked pages may be in another language.
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