From the Depths

I'm starting a new series today called From the Depths. My goal is to introduce people to little known obscure creatures that inhabit the worlds oceans.

From the Depths will be a weekly blog to start and we will see where it goes from there.

I hope you enjoy this new weekly feature and thanks so much for the support.

From the Depth - Red-eyed Medusa

Frame of reference is everything. From the perspective of beachcombers, jellyfish in the surf tend to be an irritant and a threat. They could sting or bite, and in large numbers, they make for some fear inducing stories to people that have no understanding of the ocean and its inhabitants. That’s one perspective. From the point of view of a diver and photographer, jellyfishes are mysterious delicate creatures, so beautiful they challenge our descriptive abilities.

This is a little hydrozoan called the red-eyed medusa, Polyorchis penicillatus. The red-eyed medusa is fairly common in the water along the Pacific Northwest, but they are easy to miss while diving or beach combing because they are so small, they look like little more than clear 1-inch blobs. The pulsing transparent bell shows all the internal anatomy and the eye-spots at the base of the tentacles immediately catch your eye. I still remember the first one I observed this way; I had no idea it would be so lively.

Thanks for reading.

Scott

For more stories and photos - http://www.scottstevensonphotography.ca/