'Alien' suddenly transforms into a totally different creature in jaw-dropping underwater footage

If ever anyone needs proof that aliens exist, they need only turn to the bottom of the sea.

No, we’re not talking about fragments of interstellar meteors or spacecraft, we’re not even talking about mysterious mermaids, we’re talking about the extraordinary creatures that lurk in the depths of our oceans.

One of these incredible beasts has been captured on film, swimming more than 3,700ft (1,128m) below the surface of the Indian Ocean.

What makes this “alien” so special is not just the fact it’s able to live so far beneath the waves, but the fact it can transform its appearance entirely in just the blink of an eye.

Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

The jaw-dropping metamorphosis was recorded thanks to a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), which was exploring the sea off the East coast of Africa.

In the clip, the creature – which looks more like a strange logo than a living being – can be seen floating serenely in the water.

Then suddenly, 40 seconds into the video, it seems to shrink into a small black dot.

On closer inspection, it’s clear that this isn’t a black dot but a jet-black jelly, decked out with streams of pulsating, technicoloured lights.

The video was posted to YouTube by the user CaptainJRD back in 2013. In a caption, he explained that it was taken “at a depth of 3753 ft in the Indian Ocean within close proximity to a drill wellhead.

“Near the end of the footage you can see the creature getting caught up in the output from the ROV thrusters. The video has not been altered,” he added.

Alien looking creature transforming near Ocean floor at over 3700 feet.Video from ROVwww.youtube.com

The recording has been watched more than 5.8 million times, with viewers agreeing that it was the most “alien-looking creature” they’d ever seen.

“If this isn’t one of the coolest things ever, I’m not sure what is,” one wrote.

“Is no one gonna talk about how it looked like a disco ball after it transformed? This is an amazing discovery,” commented another.

“This is why I never go more than 1000 ft underwater when I go to the beach,” joked a third.

And a fourth added: “I’m a strong believer that everything deep deep down in the ocean looks like an alien. I also bet that there’s a lot of crazy species we’ve never seen before, hell I wouldn’t be that surprised if a 900 million-year-old dinosaur dwells at the bottom of the ocean.”

The strange shape transformed into a stunning, jet-black jellyCaptainJRD/YouTube

Meanwhile, other commentators were quick to identify the creature, with most agreeing that it was a unique form of comb jelly.

“For those wondering, this is a Bloodbelly Comb Jelly also called Lampocteis. Really beautiful creatures,” one wrote.

Viewers also shared their dismay at what became of the stunning beast.

Watch till the end of the video and you’ll see that no sooner does it execute its glorious transformation than it is brutally torn apart, apparently by a valve on the wellhead.

“I became absolutely mesmerized. It was one of the most beautiful creatures I've ever seen, and then it suddenly just got ripped apart,” one commented.

Hailing it as a “powerful video” another lamented: “The camera catches the most amazing, beautiful creature never seen before, just to see it torn to shreds by the oil blowout valve.

“So very sad and also fitting for what we do to nature every second, everywhere on Earth.”

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.