Magic mushrooms
These weird creatures are two new species caught 3,280 feet (1,000 meters) below the ocean surface offshore of southeast Australia. A new taxonomic family was created to classify the primitive animals.
Two new species
Dendrogramma discoides, seen here, has a smaller stalk and disc than the other new Dendrogramma species.
An ocean chanterelle?
The new species resembles an ocean-dwelling mushroom.
Primitive life
Dendrogramma enigmatica, shown here, has a single gut for eating food and excreting waste.
Deep-sea mystery
The animals have no stinging cells, tentacles or cilia. The lack of these features prevents a link with true jellyfish and comb jellies.
From the inside
An inside view of Dendrogramma enigmatica, after the stalk was sliced in half.
