A mysterious ‘golden egg’ was discovered on the ocean floor near Alaska. Marine scientists are perplexed and think it might be an egg from an unknown creature.
A group of deep-sea explorers working for the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) made this discovery last week. The shiny object has a hole in one side, which suggests that a creature might have hatched from it, reported The Telegraph.
During a live video broadcast of a remotely operated dive that occurred two miles beneath the ocean’s surface near an extinct volcano, one researcher was overheard saying, “Something tried to get in… or to get out.”
Another marine scientist expressed concern, saying, “I just hope when we poke it, something doesn’t decide to come out. It’s like the beginning of a horror movie. When our collective knowledge can’t identify it, it’s something weird. What kind of an animal would make an egg casing like that?”
Use of a robotic arm to extract the ‘golden egg’ from rocks
The team used a robotic arm to gently release the “egg” from its rocky surroundings and then suctioned it up for examination at the surface.
While experts expected the texture of the object to be jelly-like, resembling a shark egg, it turned out to be more similar to skin tissue or silk. DNA tests are currently underway to determine its true identity.
Oceanographers have stumbled upon a mysterious golden egg more than 3 km at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean near an underwater volcano. According to most experts, it will most likely be a dead sea sponge or an eggshell of some other marine life. Scientists are analyzing the… pic.twitter.com/NhzeuJs5hk
— Abinash Panda (@AbinashReeco) September 4, 2023
NOAA said that the most plausible explanation is that it’s an egg casing. Many deep-sea creatures, like sharks and rays, are known to lay such casings in similar environments. However, the exact origin of this peculiar object remains a mystery.
Other suggestions put forward include a new kind of coral, a Pacific barnacle, or a type of sponge, wrote The Telegraph.
Found during the NOAA’s Seascape Alaska 5 expedition
The enigmatic object came to light on the eighth day of NOAA’s Seascape Alaska 5 expedition, a mission that began on August 23. The expedition’s primary focus has been delving into the ocean floor approximately 250 miles south of the Alaskan shoreline.
It’s worth noting that an estimated one-third of marine life in the ocean remains unknown to us.
During this expedition, the team has been collecting samples of creatures residing in deep-sea coral, sponge habitats, and areas with mud volcanoes.
Kerry Howell, a professor of deep-sea ecology at the University of Plymouth, commented to the Mail Online, describing the object as “weird” in nature.
“In my 20 years exploring the deep sea I have not seen anything like that,” said Kerry Howell. She further stated, “It’s always exciting to see new things and I will wait eagerly for the analysis on the sample to understand what it actually is.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
