A transparent jellyfish so alien it looks like an animated GIF flashing red and yellow lights and a species of single-celled amoeba so large it covers the ocean floor were some of the incredible discoveries found deep underwater by an expedition mounted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

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The finds at the crushing depths of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean were among the early discoveries of NOAA's ongoing Deepwater Exploration of the Marianas. The expedition supports NOAA's mission of understanding deep-sea habitats.

The most fascinating creature seen during the four dives so far is this creature from the genus "Crossota" belonging to the Rhopalonematidae family of jellyfish. Not yet precisely named, this hydromedusa sports long and short tentacles extending from its gelatinous bell or mesoglea.

But the most striking feature of this minute jellyfish are the lights visibly glowing inside its bell. NOAA said these red lights are radial canals connecting yellow colored gonads.

A You Tube video of this lovely creature taken by the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Deep Discoverer at a depth of 2.3 miles along the Enigma Seamount is worth a thousand words.

Also visually striking were circular balls littering an area of the Enigma Seamount. Scientists believe these balls to be single-celled amoebas clumped together in a massive colony.

The Mariana Trench extends 11 kilometers below the surface of the ocean at the Challenger Deep, its deepest point. It's 2,550 km long and has an average width of 79 km.

From April to July, NOAA and partners are conducting the Deepwater Exploration of the Marianas expedition on the NOAA ship "Okeanos Explorer." The expedition's aim is to collect critical baseline information of unknown and poorly known areas in and around the Marianas Trench. The dive also uncovered other notable features around the trench.

TagsNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Crossota, hydromedusa, eepwater Exploration of the Marianas, Mariana Trench, Okeanos Explorer