If you thought that the world is a strange place; then think carefully about the underwater ecosystem where truth is indeed stranger than fiction. In a recent discover off the coast of Australia, scientists have found giant spider-like creatures surviving around 5000m below the sea level. These creatures tend to turn blue displaying a strange property of bioluminescence. Experts are yet to figure out if this property is a defense mechanism, a way to attract their prey, their natural body or a due to a reason they have not yet been able to come up with.
Deep underwater off the southeastern coast of Australia, one can see these strange creatures. What is indeed remarkable is not that they show properties of bioluminescence but that only their legs glow blue in the dark. These creatures have legs which can extend for up to 25 metres and produce their own light, which make them look like creatures from another world.
The first encounter
The first time researcher’s encountered these strange spider-like creatures with long legs were back in 2017, almost a decade ago. The experts were on an expedition to the Australian Abyss and were researching on bioluminescent creatures under water. One among the many creatures that showed this property was identified as the Colossendeis tasmanica which can be commonly referred to as the giant sea spider. It was recorded that when these creatures were stimulated, their legs could glow blue for about 10 minutes at a stretch. It was also intriguing that the glow appeared on the underside of their legs, where their digestive tracts are situated. Many suspect that this might be a phenomenon related to their meals and digestion. While speculations are that it could be to attract their prey or mate, no concrete evidence of either hypothesis have been established so far.
Are they really spiders?
Despite being commonly referred to as deep sea giant spiders, their appearances are slightly different. While their body may be the size of a human finger, their legs can stretch up to an enormous 25 meter length, which is quite unusual for spiders of any kind. As of now, more research on these creatures are on to separate fact from fiction.
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