Just off the coast of Angola, scientists have discovered a strange-looking creature that they've described as bearing a close resemblance to the 'flying spaghetti monster,' the parody deity of pasta enthusiasts worldwide (referred to as "pastafarians," a portmanteau of pasta and Rastafarian). Perhaps for obvious reasons, the odd creature has captivated the internet.
BP teams were reportedly conducting routine maintenance on an oil well when they noticed the strange monster. According to the New Scientist, they then forwarded the footage to Daniel Jones at the National Oceanography Centre.
The New Scientist points out that a colleague of Jones, Philip Pugh, was able to name the creature after some careful consideration of its tentacles:
“After noticing that the tentacles do not have side branches, he deduced that it was a specimen of Bathyphysa conifera. Siphonophores belong to a group of aquatic animals that include corals and jellyfish. Specimens up to 40 metres long have been found, making them among the world’s longest animals.”
As CNN points out, it’s a close cousin to corals and jelly fish (which make sense considering it looks like a hybrid of the two). But, whatever its scientific classification, this knot of tentacles is quite the sight to behold.
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