Scientists Uncover Identity of Elusive Ocean Mollusk

Researchers from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute have identified a previously unknown deep-sea nudibranch, named Bathydevius caudactylus, which inhabits the ocean's bathypelagic zone at depths of 1,000–4,000 meters. This bioluminescent creature, observed over two decades, moves like a jellyfish and captures prey with an oral hood similar to a Venus flytrap. Its unique anatomy and genetic makeup have led to its classification in a new phylogenetic family, marking it as the first nudibranch known to live at such depths.