Siphonophora (Siphonophore spp.)
Common name: Siphonophore
Scientific name: Siphonophora spp.
Locations: open ocean water, upwellings, eddy currents around peninsulas
Seasonality: summer months, sometimes seen during fall and winter
Colors: translucent, bright spectrum of colors
Size: 1”-130’
Collected: dip net
Quantity: sold by the each
Common name: Siphonophore
Scientific name: Siphonophora spp.
Locations: open ocean water, upwellings, eddy currents around peninsulas
Seasonality: summer months, sometimes seen during fall and winter
Colors: translucent, bright spectrum of colors
Size: 1”-130’
Collected: dip net
Quantity: sold by the each
Common name: Siphonophore
Scientific name: Siphonophora spp.
Locations: open ocean water, upwellings, eddy currents around peninsulas
Seasonality: summer months, sometimes seen during fall and winter
Colors: translucent, bright spectrum of colors
Size: 1”-130’
Collected: dip net
Quantity: sold by the each
Tidepool Tim says, “Colonial hydroids are true show-stoppers. They may look like jellyfish - but they are actually carnivorous colonies of polyps working in unison. Siphonophores are “superorganisms.” They are usually elongate and rope-like, reaching sizes of up to 40 m in length, and longer than a blue whale! To appreciate this animal fully, you will need to see it submerged in water. The individuals that join to form siphonophores are called “zooids” and they participate in divided labor. Each “piece” of the animal does a different job!”
