Aquatic Aliens

This dreamy ring is actually a group of salps—gelatinous, tube-shaped creatures that are more closely related to us than jellyfish. Each “tube” is its own little animal, but they link up and move together in perfect sync, forming chains or even circles like this one. They drift through the water filtering plankton, and when food is plentiful, they multiply fast, creating shimmering blooms that seem to go on forever.

Out on the Sea of Cortez (La Ventana, Mexico)
After spending hours mesmerized by a massive fever of mobulas (that’s what a group of them is called!), I noticed two delicate, otherworldly creatures drifting nearby. Intrigued, I floated closer and snapped a few shots—not just because they were stunning, but because I couldn’t wait to get home and figure out what on earth they were.

With the help of my guide, some online digging, and an ocean ID Facebook group, here’s what I learned:

This delicate creature is a type of siphonophore, likely in the genus Agalma. Though it looks like one animal, it’s actually a colony made up of many tiny individuals, all working together as one. Siphonophores float freely in the open ocean, catching small prey in their fine, hair-like tentacles—like living pieces of ocean art.