Forskalia are unique among #siphonophores for their feeding bodies hanging on long stalks and the spiral arrangement of all their zooids, including the swimming bells, which might explain why they often swim in a twisting motion #multijetpropulsion (March 2022)

A literal #unicorn among #salps! Solitary-stage Brooksia rostrata bear a unique frontal projection (like a "rostrum") which they can wiggle around using muscle contractions. They are often seen trailing their budding aggregate-stage colony for a long time #multijetpropulsion (Feb 2022)

We use laser sheets in lab tanks to scan and image the #salps we collect while diving, like this Pegea confoederata. This technique also allows us to track the flow of water in-and-out of the animal using the laser-illuminated particles in the water #multijetpropulsion (Feb 2022)

Cyclosalpa affinis #salp solitary oozoids asexually bud chains of whorls as a double chain internally, which starts pinching sets of blastozooids as it comes out. These eventually will break off as free-swimming whorl colonies able of sexual reproduction #multijetpropulsion (Feb 2022)

During our night dives in the open ocean we inject fluorescein dye in front of #salps, like this Brooksia rostrata colony, to visualize the jet wakes as they swim. From these videos we can measure the angles and speeds of jets along the colony #multijetpropulsion (Feb 2022)

Cyclosalpa polae #salp takes the bilateral whorl architecture one step further with very long peduncles, so they can bob and tangle around freely, like the heads of a hydra. These clusters tend to form hemispherical shapes #multijetpropulsion (Feb 2022)

Cyclosalpa affinis #salp aggregate colonies have the same bilateral whorl arrangement as in C. quadriluminis, but the whorls tend to stick together along the axis of the double chain long after being released from the oozoid #multijetpropulsion (Feb 2022)

Cyclosalpa quadriluminis #salps have modified the transversal double-chain we saw with Pegea by pinching the developing chain at regular intervals, releasing radial-looking, bilateral whorls where all the zooids are attached to the center by peduncles. #multijetpropulsion (Feb 2022)

Brooksia rostrata #salp blastozooid colonies deviate from the linear chain arrangement we saw in Iasis cylindrica, as their zooids have their aboral ends flared outward in a herringbone pattern #multijetpropulsion (Feb 2022)