Curious new species discovered

[Strange]

Not just a new species but possibly a new phylum...

 

Puzzling New Animals Look Like Deep-Sea Mushrooms

http://www.livescience.com/47668-weird-species-deep-sea-mushroom.html

[Moontanman]

Look a lot like sea pansies to me...

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_pansy

https://www.google.com/search?q=sea+pansies&rlz=1C1PRFC_enUS551US551&espv=2&biw=1024&bih=705&tbm=isch&imgil=4kWLgM2y6gJPdM%253A%253BtccFil1nL8vD4M%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.frauleindi.com%25252Fhiltonheadnature%25252Farticles%25252Farticles-seapansies.htm&source=iu&fir=4kWLgM2y6gJPdM%253A%252CtccFil1nL8vD4M%252C_&usg=__r-6tergC8aaHIyyv2nTpIkuBXUM%3D&sa=X&ei=UdIHVInmNIrGgwSZvoHoCA&ved=0CJIBEP4dMAs#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=4kWLgM2y6gJPdM%253A%3BtccFil1nL8vD4M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.frauleindi.com%252Fimages%252FHHNature%252FSeaPansy-bottom.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.frauleindi.com%252Fhiltonheadnature%252Farticles%252Farticles-seapansies.htm%3B288%3B338

[pears]

They look a little like sea pansies but I suppose the must be quite different to have been given a brand new classification. Pulled from the ocean in 1986 apparently. Why has the classification taken so long?

 

Some more here http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/09/140903-evolution-animal-dendrogramma-mushroom-species-ocean/

Edited September 4, 2014 by pears

[pantheory]

Really cool. Something very different. They look like floppy mushrooms to me. Maybe they might have a place in the mosaic of man's terraforming aspirations some day. I don't see any chlorophyll, and if not they would be dependent on pre-existing life or its byproducts for food.