They had to navigate to believe it.

Researchers near California waters have discovered an elusive, deep-sea “mystery” mollusk that functions like a Venus fly trap far below the depths. The creature is also spectacularly bioluminescent with a bright neon blue glow, like a cross between a jellyfish and an overgrown houseplant to the untrained eye.

Now, a new paper highlights the newly identified 5.6-inch “sneaky” Bathydevius caudactylus – a search a quarter-century in the making.

“We have invested more than 20 years in understanding the natural history of this fascinating species of nudibranch,” said researcher Bruce Robison, whose study is now published in the journal Deep sea research, part I.

One side of the nudibranch – known colloquially as a sea slug – is a “bulky structure hooded at one end” with a “tail lined with numerous finger-like projections at the other”. according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

The underwater slug, which propels itself to swim by closing its hood like jelly, also contains “colorful internal organs in between.”

It lives at depths of up to 13,100 feet on the sea floor. pitch black “midnight zone”. The newly discovered species is the first of its kind to live this far away, according to researchers.

The slug has been observed in waters from Oregon to southern California and may have a wider presence in the Pacific Ocean.

The strange catcher’s most effective predatory skill is using its “cavernous hood” to trap crustaceans like shrimp, like the Venus flytrap, the institute’s experts explained.

When threatened, the mollusk exploits its most dazzling feature, bioluminescence, to distract other seafloor predators. It does this by deploying a “finger-shaped projection that constantly shines from the tail” as a decoy.

After one was safely captured, the researchers were just as distracted as the attacking fish would be when the sea slug also lit up with a “starry” appearance on its back.

“Everyone in the control room let out a loud ‘Oooooh!’ at the same time. We were all enchanted by the spectacle,” said Steven Haddock, senior scientist at the aquarium institute.

He added that cameras have only recently reached a level of sophistication to adequately capture bioluminescence in water.

The team looks forward to using the luminous sea slug to inform new deep-sea research.

“Our discovery is a new piece of the puzzle that can help better understand the largest habitat on Earth,” Robison said.