ByPatrick Pesterpublishedabout 7 hours ago

Don’t hold your breath on Bigfoot.

An image shows the coils of the long siphonophore.(Image credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute)

In 2020, researchers saw for the first time what may be thelongest animal ever. The creature, spotted in a deep-sea canyon off Australia, was a roughly 150-foot-long (45 meters) siphonophore. Each member of this group of species is made up of lots of smaller animals called zooids, which connect to form a long, string-like colony similar to acoralbut that swims freely in the ocean.

Given it took so long for humans to set eyes on this ginormous siphonophore, it raises the question, are there more giant animals humans haven’t discovered yet? The answer is almost certainly yes. Scientists are still learning about life onEarthand the siphonophore is one of several giants that humans have found in recent decades.