Relicanthus daphneae

[Wasabiroot]

Saw this watching EV Nautilus Deepwater exploration video. It is a specialized deep sea cnindarian that after genetic analysis was found to be in its own order and not an anemone. I wonder if one day we will have the ability to keep these in captivity...doubtful as they live very deep (2000m and more). Thought it was cool and worth sharing. They get pretty huge.

 

[blaxsun]

It's like a huge tang trawling net, lol.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I don't know if we'd be able to at the hobbyist level, but we're pretty much there at the researcher/public aquarium level with equipment like the "Abyss Box." If the technology were progressed enough at some point for us to have it at the home hobbyist level, though, that would be awesome.

 

[Wasabiroot]

From an article

The researchers propose that the phylogenetic oddities of Relicanthus could be due to its association with the periphery of hydrothermal vents, which are essentially hot springs on the seafloor.

“We speculate that if it truly is associated with these vents, perhaps it is using its long sticky tentacles to snag, and eat, some of the more mobile animals coming in and out of the vent field—which serves as a concentrated buffet of organisms,” Brugler said. “In that case, it would have a relatively stable food source over long evolutionary timescales.”

Apparently the tentacles get up to 7 feet long, making it one of the largest single polyp cnidarians.

 

[Wasabiroot]

I don't know if we'd be able to at the hobbyist level, but we're pretty much there at the researcher/public aquarium level with equipment like the "Abyss Box." If the technology were progressed enough at some point for us to have it at the home hobbyist level, though, that would be awesome.

A specialized tank around 10 feet long in a dark tunnel would be a cool exhibit