An ocean phantom (66-505 myf) roaming shallow waters
The Ocean Phantom is a colonial jellyfish that lives 100 million years in the future in the documentary "The Future is Wild". Approximately reaching 9m (30ft) long and 3.9 (13ft) feet wide, the Ocean Phantom is huge for a jellyfish. However, it is not a single species, but a colony of animals, most of which are jellyfish species. They form a floating mass with highly advanced systems of coordination and functions.
One of the most notable of the animals which make up the Ocean Phantom are the sails. These creatures raise and fall to catch the wind and allow the Phantom to travel accross the ocean. There are also large 'floats' which are simple organisms. These, partially filled with air, allow the Ocean Phantom to remain buoyant enough to stay on the water's surface. They also house algae which is farmed. The "tenticles" of the ocean phantom serve a different position, and raise or lower, but are not used to stun prey with venom, like most modern tentacles. Another type is the 'mouth' of the colony. It consists of an upside-down 'cup' and four tentacles which grab passing prey. The final jellyfish type is a larger 'cup'. It is not used for ingestion, but instead provides a home for a spindletrooper. There are many of these jellyfish, and so the colony as a whole carries an army of the evolved sea spiders.
Despite there being different castes that are largely unrelated, all parts of the phantom are descended from the Portuguese man o' war.
The Ocean Phantom visit algae reefs to hunt, using the sails on its back to navigate, as it can raise and lower them. It preys on young Reef Gliders. Adult Reef Gliders will attack Ocean Phantoms. When this happens, the phantom's resident Spindle Troopers act to defend their home. Having driven off the attacker, the sea spiders return to the Ocean Phantom. This symbiotic relationship is advantageous to the Spindle Troopers because they are provided with a food source: the red algae which grows on the jellyfish's back.
Storms sometimes break up Ocean Phantom colonies. Contrary to what would automatically be assumed, this benefits the Ocean Phantom. The storm breaks the colony into separate, smaller colonies. If these colonies feature one of every caste that makes up the whole of the Ocean Phantom, the new colony will survive and grow. Storms are in fact a means by which Ocean Phantom produce a new generation.
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