Divers Surprised by Gorgeous 'Feather Boa' of the Sea. And the Video Is Glorious.

[Judi Lynn]

By Stephanie Pappas, Live Science Contributor | November 18, 2018 09:57am ET

An undulating ribbon of silver surprised divers near northern New Zealand in October — but not so much that they couldn't get it on video.

The resulting film shows a floating "feather boa" of the sea, properly known as a pyrosome. The 26-foot-long (8 meters) tube is not a single creature, according to The Washington Post, but rather a colony of tiny creatures called tunicates.

"I've always wanted to see one," videographer Steve Hathaway told The Post. [Gallery: Jaw-Dropping Images of Life Under the Sea]

Tunicates can be either free-floating or anchored to the seafloor. Either way, they filter feed on plankton. Pyrosomes can be made of different species of tunicates, but large ones are often formed by a variety called Pyrosoma spinosum, which also emit a gentle bioluminescent glow.

Hathaway told The Post he and his friend Andrew Buttle ran across the colonial creature while shooting underwater footage near White Island, New Zealand, on Oct. 25. Buttle's family owns the island, which is also known as Whakaari, but it is open to public tours.

More:
https://www.livescience.com/64112-feather-boa-sea-creature-video.html?utm_source=notification

[Arkansas Granny]

1. Incredible. I had no idea such a creature existed.

[LakeSuperiorView]

2. Looks like a giant intestine.

[LakeArenal]

3. Can we nominate items for the "Cool" section?

Cuz that is soo Coool!

Duh it is in the correct place. My bad!!

[Duppers]

4. Beautiful!

So many strange sea creatures beautiful to me.

[LudwigPastorius]

5. They're lucky they didn't encounter that thing's little brother,...

"Rover".