Stunning Siphonophore Strikes Back- 2014 (Remastered!)
This latest memory from our 15 years of ocean exploration comes from our exploration of the Caribbean Sea at the Barbados mud volcanos when we met this Erenna siphonophore! Siphonophores are colonial animals that start with one body (called a zooid), then grow by asexually producing many more small bodies that all remain attached. Each zooid becomes specialized for particular tasks, such as capturing food with stinging cells in the "frilly part", pulsing locomotion cells in "the chainsaw float", or for reproduction. These predators are found in ocean basins around the world as pelagic predators.
Kick 'em Jenny Submarine Volcano Project
This cruise to the southern Lesser Antilles volcanic arc is part of the INSPIRE project, funded by NSF with the purpose of studying and improving telepresence for ocean exploration. Scientists will implement several student-designed exploration projects led from shore. Kick’em Jenny is the most active submarine volcano in the Caribbean Sea, and during the past century it has shown a history of progressive growth with explosive eruptions.
