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Under the Antarctic Ice--Jellyfish
Jellyfish species Diplulmaris Antarctica floats with the current just offshore of McMurdo Station, Ross Island, Antarctica.
More about this image
This species of jellyfish is generally found in Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula near the surface in continental shelf waters. Its colorless umbrella can be up to 18 centimeters in diameter and its diet consists mainly of copepods, euphausiid larvae, medusae, ctenophores, fish larvae and molluscan pteropods.
The Antarctic waters are teeming with species of fish and other sea creatures like urchins, brittle stars and sea stars; jellyfish and sponges; worms and spiders; and krill and shrimp, as well as marine mammals and penguins, to name a few.
The National Science Foundation runs the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP). In addition to maintaining three U.S. research stations on the continent, USAP supports research projects in an array of scientific disciplines including aeronomy and astrophysics, biology and medicine, geology and geophysics, glaciology, and ocean and climate systems. Outreach such as the Antarctic Artists and Writers program and education programs are also supported.
For more information about USAP, visit the program's website. [Note: Please see "Special Restrictions" below regarding use of this image.] (Date of Image: December 2005)
Credit: Steve Clabuesch, NSF
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