their jellyfish and coral kin in the phylum
Cnidaria: stinging and eating things. However, their appearance is quite different. Rather than a single naked medusa or a colony lodged inside a fortified skeleton, siphonophores are naked colonies of Siamese twins. They are not identical, though. They usually specialize in a particular task and contain only the anatomy necessary to perform that function. Some push the colony forward, some catch and eat food, and some make little siphonophores.
Okeanos Explorer, which took the first video, sighted another dandelion siphonophore this summer that appears to have an adaptation I have not seen before: a system of retractable and reusable fishing lines suspended from the anchor cables. I have never seen anything like this before. As one of the commentators says, it’s mesmerizing.
