Deep Sea Glowing Polyp by polterbyte
Close
Hover over top left image to zoom.
Click anywhere to exit.
Members remain the original copyright holder in all their materials here at Renderosity. Use of any of their material inconsistent with the terms and conditions set forth is prohibited and is considered an infringement of the copyrights of the respective holders unless specially stated otherwise.
Description
The Deep Sea Glowing Polyp (Heteractis lumna) is by far the rarest and most controversial species of sea anemone ever to have been spotted in nature.
Up to this day only a handful of scientists claim to have seen it, and the only useful photograph ever taken was recovered from the Galathea Depth, the lowest point in the Philippine Deep, at 34.5 thousand feet deep over three years after the German deep sea submarine piloted by Dr. Hans Krieg disappeared in those vicinities. In his last recording, Dr. Krieg commented on the unusual polyp and mentioned it moved towards a cave at a discernible pace, but the transmission was cut before he could elaborate.
By the available descriptions, the Deep Sea Glowing Polyp is at least two orders of magnitude larger than its cousin, the magnificent sea anemone, this last one typically measuring 3 feet in diameter. Exact measures haven’t been provided, and it is still debatable if those allegations of giant sized polyps hold any truth. Dr. Claude Faure of the University of Paris, having studied polyps for over forty years is very skeptic but doesn’t rule out the possibility of giant specimens. When asked specifically about the Deep Sea Glowing Polyp, Dr. Faure answered “There are several factors that can be used as evidence that it doesn’t exist: allegations that it is close to 300 feet in diameter, allegations that it moves at perceptible speeds, and the fact that not a single sighting included the gastro-enteric orifice. Such creature is more reminiscent of old days’ sea monsters than of scientifically acknowledged sea life.”
By the descriptions available, most of them made in 1973 by a group of American biologists led by Dr. Damien Parke, the giant polyp starts to exhibit a glowing strip in orange, yellow and green colors as soon as larger fish approach it—or, as was the case, the deep sea unmanned submarine—starting close to the subject and moving away. In all cases, once the submarine entirely was above the polyp, it started to move at a constant speed measured as 0.32 mph, curiously in the direction of the glowing strip. The glowing strip also unfolded forward as the submarine progressed, and both the polyp and the strip moved towards the mouth of a cave. As reported by the crew, just as the submarine entered the cave the roof started to displace, and only by a few seconds the submarine was able to leave, as the entrance collapsed entirely.
Philippine fisherman inhabiting nearby island say that what scientists see as a polyp is nothing but the taste buds in the tongue of a gigantic deep sea fish, which uses the glowing surface to lure prey towards its mouth. There is no scientific evidence backing up these claims, and respected maritime biologists refuse to entertain such notions, dismissing them as preposterous.
Comments (28)
carlx
Beautiful depth and golden tones!!!
bpclarke
Great story and an even better creation! Love the depth and colors on this beauty. Excellent work. Bunny
FELIPEART
EXELENTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
afugatt
Whoah!!!!! That's incredible! I LOVE your story and the picture is fantastic!
Star4mation
Superb fractal and description :)
amota99517
This is great and such a good story too!!
dinner
Lovely creation!
mansco
Love it's tones ;O)
VDH
Beautiful work! Nice coloring!!
crys-laura
Olá! Amei essa imagem, a cor é espetacular! Parabéns pela linda galeria. Abraços
luoyx2008
Beautiful !!!
antares_arte
Really splendid work.
emmecielle
Splendid work!!! :)
kleinhoon
Beautiful creation.... love the depth..!!
MarciaGomes
MARAVILHOSO FRACTAL FASCINANTE COR,ADOREI AS FORMAS.+++++++++5
JeffersonAF
Excelente trabalho, ficou muito bom.
sylki
Stunningly beautiful, I love the colours you used and the fantastic lighting!!!
moonrancher
Love it! Especially the research and depth.
bakapo
the details are fantastic and so is the feeling of depth.
iceberg5
I like this : great depth, colours ,and a natural look befitting of polyps !
CarolSassy
Very nice 3D-look! Pretty details 'n' colors! Well done! (:
bloodnok
A great fractal, and a great story to go with it. Very entertaining
e-brink
Wonderfully glowing image with fantastic depth to it.
kasalin
A very superb fractal and a beautiful description too !!! EXCELLENT !!! Vote:5*** :):):)
ralphwarnick
Another tantalizing lesson and an excellent image. The hues are particularly exquisite.
three_grrr
Fabulous depth to this one. I might add these are the most beautiful taste buds I've ever seen on anyone's tongue!! Marveous story!
Richardphotos
the depth and beauty of your fractal is astonishing
DuncanC
Very cool image. I love the textures. It does indeed look like some sort of sea creature. Well done. (Voted)