We made it to the Ross Ice Shelf edge this afternoon. I gave a quick science talk on ice shelves on board when we were an hour away and at the end got to say - "ok go outside an look at a real one - in fact the biggest one". People were suitably blown away - a 40 m high wall of ice that disappeared into the horizon in both directions. #Oceanography #Antarctica #IceShelves #TAN2502

"Glass sponges are considered the oldest animals on Earth—and it’s by a long shot. Scientists estimate that they can live for more than 10,000 years, possibly 15,000 years maximum. One glass sponge observed by researchers in the Ross Sea, a bay of Antarctica, is thought to be the oldest living animal on the planet. Scientists have also discovered a skeleton of a glass sponge in the East China Sea that they believe lived for 11,000 years. These individual animals are so old that they could have been alive during the last ice age. "

Science #Oceanography #Biology
https://www.ifaw.org/journal/animals-longest-lifespans#:~:text=Glass%20sponges&text=One%20glass%20sponge%20observed%20by,believe%20lived%20for%2011%2C000%20years

More from the research voyage: these puppies grew on our gear that had spent a year at 2km depth in the oceans - Anthoathecata (thecate hydroids) - I'm told. Dunno why people focus on aliens from other planets when these folks are pootling around in the depths #oceanography #Antarctica This is them in water - image about 5 cm across.