A group of scientists on the Viking Expedition Team discovered something amazing in the Antarctic waters! They found a really big jellyfish called Stygiomedusa gigantea, also known as the giant phantom jellyfish. This jellyfish is really rare and has only been seen 126 times since it was discovered in 1910.
The jellyfish is enormous, stretching to a whopping 10 meters (30 feet) long! It has a big bulbous part at the top called a bell, which can be a meter (3.3 feet) across. It also has four arms that it uses to catch its food, like plankton and small fish.
The scientists were able to see the jellyfish by using special underwater vehicles that can go really deep in the ocean. These vehicles are called personal submersibles and they are really helpful for studying animals that are hard to see.
The scientists wrote a paper about their discovery in a science journal called Polar Research. They explained how using these underwater vehicles can help researchers learn more about animals in the ocean, especially in the polar regions.
Viking Cruises is a company that takes people on trips to explore the ocean and learn about science. They have two big ships, the Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, and scientists can join them to do research. The company thinks that this is just the beginning of many more discoveries that will be made on their ships.
Isn’t it cool that there are still so many things to discover in the ocean? Who knows what other amazing creatures are down there waiting to be found!
