Divers Capture First-Ever Video Of Extremely Rare Jellyfish

Divers in Kavieng, Papua New Guinea captured the world’s first-ever video footage of a jellyfish so rare it’s only been spotted once before – and that was back in 1997.

The jellyfish, identified as the Chirodectes Maculatus, was filmed off the coast of Kavieng, around 20m (65.5 feet) deep.

The Scuba Ventures’ Facebook page shared the footage with the world and people couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

The group wrote: “Saw a new type of Jellyfish while diving today. It has cool markings and is a bit bigger than a soccer ball and they are quite fast swimming.”

According to the Biodiversity Heritage Library, the only other scientifically studied specimen was found on the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef on May 2, 1997.

The species has neat tentacles that are grouped into four distinct sections. It’s unlike anything else!

Given its rarity, the scientific community was especially interested in the discovery and prompted the divers to submit their findings to the Atlas of Living Australia.

While its been 25 years since the species was spotted previously, many researchers are hopeful that his new discovery will allow scientists to better find and study the species. Hopefully the next sighting won’t take quite so long.

Check out the incredible footage below: