Strange sea creatures are increasingly washing up on the shores of the Pacific Ocean (7 photos + 1 video)
Recently, more and more strange transparent creatures have been found along the Pacific coast. These are pyrosomes or fireflies, free-swimming colonial marine animals. They usually live in deep water, but are now often washed ashore. Scientists have explained the reason. 
Along the coasts of Northern California, Oregon and even Alaska, pyrosomes are increasingly being found - one of the strangest inhabitants of the underwater world. These are tunicates, free-swimming colonial marine animals that are somewhat similar to either jellyfish or slugs. They usually live in warm seas and at great depths, but in recent years they have often washed ashore. Scientists from Oregon State University decided to look into this issue. 
Experts have found that pyrosomes began to appear en masse due to warming waters, which began back in 2013. They feed on phytoplankton, which marine fish and other creatures like to snack on: this is a problem because the more pyrosomes appear, the less food and energy there is for others. Therefore, since pyrosomes spread into the Pacific Ocean, the numbers of salmon, cod, Dungeness crab and seabirds have declined. 
Pyrosomes form colonies of thousands of individuals and swim freely in the ocean. They grow from 20 cm to as much as 30 meters, but are usually short. These creatures look like hollow, translucent tubes that are closed at one end. They reproduce asexually by budding. During the process of reproduction, several new ones appear in place of the old organism, and some of them unite into a new colony. Many of them are capable of intense luminescence, and glow in response to stimulation. 
For a long time, pyrosomes were considered virtually useless for the ocean, since they could not serve as a source of energy for other species. Scientists are still figuring out how nutritious they are for other creatures. One thing is clear: their rapid spread has a serious impact on the ecosystem. 
