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unidentified Salpidae unidentified
Unknown Salp Speices
Florida native
I saw these tiny creatures that I beleive are salps washed up on the beach in September 2013. In August 2014 I saw similar but slightly larger creatures in the ocean that I also believe were salps. Those were jelly-like, about olive sized, oval, and mostly clear with an internal structure that resembled a small worm.
Apparently populations of these kinds of creatures has been increasing in recent years. This might be a good thing, as research indicates salps might play a major role in sequestering carbon dioxide in their waste and bodies, both of which sink quickly to the bottom of the ocean. For more information on this, see this article in oceanus magazine, from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.
unidentified Salpidae unidentified is a member of the Salpidae - Salp family.
For more information on this species, visit the following link:
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Date record last modified: Sep 07, 2014
