Mysterious Purple Orb Spotted On Ocean Floor

A mysterious purple orb spotted on the sea bed during a live-streamed ocean exploration temporarily stumped scientists.

The colourful orb was seen near the Channel Islands of California by the Exploration Vessel Nautilus, a scientific expedition equipped with a live broadcasting studio.

The apparently otherwordly lifeform was spotted in a rocky crevasse by a remote-controlled rover, and scientists scratched their heads for several minutes during the live broadcast, trying to explain what viewers could see.

One said: "What is that? I actually have no idea."

Another said: "I'm stumped, I have no idea. What if it's an egg sac of some sort? A spider egg sac?"

They directed the vessel to use its suction tool to capture orb for a closer look.

But as the suction tool moved in, a large red crab appeared to take an interest in the purple curiosity.

It began stroking the orb, which has a light pink centre.

The vessel triumphed and captured the orb in its on-board laboratory — and scientists were quick to conclude that it is likely to be a new form of the nudibranch marine mollusc.

On their YouTube channel the researchers wrote: "We won't know definitively what it is for a while. It could possibly take years for scientists to determine if it's a new species."

But viewers continued to speculate on the orb's nature in the video's comments section.

One joked that it looked like a new type of Pokemon, while another asked whether it was an alien egg.