News Animals

These sea creatures can fuse their bodies

After fusion, some of the comb jellies’ bodily functions synchronize

A looping animation of two transparent sea creatures, fused together, both contracting when prodded with a thin rod.

Sea walnuts (Mnemiopsis leidyi) — small, gelatinous animals that live in the open ocean — can fuse together when injured. When prodded, the conjoined pair sync their muscle contractions, as seen here.

Mariana Rodriguez-Santiago

By Jude Coleman

In a Frankenstein-y feat, a small, gelatinous sea creature can merge its body with a neighbor’s. The animals — called sea walnuts, a type of comb jelly — can then sync up their bodily functions, researchers report October 7 in Current Biology.