Scientists have released video footage of a bizarre seafloor creature that usually hides in a burrow, freely swimming and using its 'spaghetti-like' tentacles to catch prey.
The pom pom-shaped creature is a polychaete, a species from the appropriately named group: spaghetti worms.
It's long, pink tentacles wave around as it traverses the seafloor looking to catch floating prey in the water.
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Researchers from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) captured footage of the "mystery masses" in 2012 using a remotely operated vehicle in Mexico's Gulf of California.
To celebrate World Polychaete Day on July 1, they released the video on MBARI's YouTube channel.
This particular species of spaghetti worm has yet to be officially named, Live Science reported.
"Although giving a species its own name would seem to be a simple process, it actually takes a lot of time and dedication to collect specimens, examine key features, sequence the DNA and assign a scientific name," MBARI representatives said in a statement.
The shaggy species was previously known solely in the Bahamas, and DNA testing confirmed that scientists had found a new species.
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In the past, scientists have discovered and named more than 12,000 living species of polychaetes.
The 2,000 metre dwelling creature has no eyes and no gills.
"Swimming freely allows the worm to easily move around and find new places to feed. Biremis uses its bountiful bundle of non-retractile tentacles to harvest particles of marine snow that have settled on the seafloor," MBARI said.
"No doubt many more wonderful worms like Biremis await discovery in the ocean’s mysterious depths."
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