They are especially well known in the Antarctic where they are an important part of the food web. The larvae of many bottom-dwelling invertebrates like crabs, starfish, mussels, clams, and lobsters all begin as larvae in the plankton before they settle on the bottom and become the more familiar adult creatures. These gelatinous zooplankton are relatives of snails. Pteropods feed using a mucous web that they trap food particles with. They are the largest animals on earth to move by cilia.
Ctenophores are also highly bioluminescent, meaning they can produce and emit their own light.
These crustaceans are carnivorous, and often live attached to jelly plankton. Other gelatinous zooplankton, sea turtles, and large fish called mola molas, are a few examples of creatures that capture and eat medusae. We just have to look at the medusae to know that not all plankton are small. Light is one of the factors that controls where organisms are found in the ocean. In this virtual net tow, we explore some of the creatures you might find in the deep sea.