The Animal That Is Actually A Colony

A siphonophore is not a single individual, but a massive colony of thousands of specialized organisms working as one. They function so perfectly that scientists long debated if they were one animal or many.

These deep-sea creatures are made of individual units called zooids. Some of these units are dedicated entirely to eating, while others handle propulsion or reproduction. They are physically attached and genetically identical, allowing them to grow into record-breaking lengths. Some species can even grow longer than a blue whale, making them the longest animals on the planet.