NOAA Identifies Mysterious Golden Orb as Remnant of Giant Deep-Sea Anemone

Scientists have identified a mysterious golden orb discovered in the Gulf of Alaska in 2023 as the remnant base of a giant deep-sea anemone known as Relicanthus daphneae. The object, a golden, mound-shaped structure four inches wide with a distinctive hole, was spotted by a remotely operated vehicle during an NOAA expedition aboard the Okeanos Explorer.

It clung to a rock at a depth of more than two miles beneath the ocean surface, specifically 3,250 meters.

Researchers initially were unsure whether the orb was an egg case, a sponge, or something else. The remotely operated vehicle Deep Discoverer located the golden structure during the expedition. A robotic vacuum arm collected the specimen and transported it back to the ship.

The object was then sent to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History for further study. Scientists conducted detailed physical and genetic analyses on the object. NOAA stated that the golden mass represents dead cells that once anchored the animal to the seafloor.

The golden mass is dead tissue from the base of the creature. The base structure is typically concealed beneath the anemone's body, but this particular specimen appears to have been abandoned. Physical examination revealed the object lacked typical animal anatomy but consisted of fibrous layers densely packed with stinging cells.

This suggests a connection to cnidarians such as corals and anemones. Initial DNA barcoding proved inconclusive due to contamination by microscopic organisms. Whole-genome sequencing confirmed the genetic material was almost identical to a known Relicanthus daphneae reference genome.

The full anemone possesses a pink cylindrical body capable of growing up to three feet across. It has tentacles extending as long as six feet. One expedition member remarked, 'I just hope when we poke it, something doesn't decide to come out.

' Dr. Allen Collins said, 'We work on hundreds of different samples and I suspected that our routine processes would clarify the mystery. ' Dr. ' Dr. Allen Collins is a zoologist and director of NOAA Fisheries' National Systematics Laboratory.

Captain William Mowitt is the acting director of NOAA Ocean Exploration.