The creatures are called xenophyophores, and scientists from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography at UC San Diego spotted them in the cold, crushing depths 6.6 miles beneath the white caps. "They ...

The xenophyophores are just the tip of the deep-sea ecosystem iceberg. The expedition also found the deepest jellyfish observed to date, as well as other mysterious animals.

The single-celled xenophyophores were found by researchers from the U.K.’s National Oceanography Center, the University of Hawaii and the University of Geneva in Switzerland. The species were ...

Xenophyophores belong to the phylum Foraminifera, which is the most common organism found down in the "abyssal plains" of the CCZ.

To their surprise, they found xenophyophores, which had never before been seen below 7,500 metres. The single-celled creatures have among the largest individual cells known to mankind, with a ...

The previous depth record for xenophyophores was approximately 4.7 miles (7,500 m) in the New Hebrides Trench, although sightings in the deepest portion of the Mariana Trench have been reported.

Xenophyophores deploy strings of mucus along their 'skeletons' to catch sediment and other particles that they can eat. It is also thought that bacteria may live on these mucous threads, and are ...

The creatures were discovered at depths of 6.6 miles (10.6 kilometers). That breaks a previous record for xenophyophores found in the New Hebrides Trench at 4.7 miles (7.6 kilometers).

Xenophyophores come in at 22 for several reasons. First, they represent the largest single-celled organism on Earth. The largest of them is Syringammina fragillissima at a maximum of 20cm in diameter.

Xenophyophores often exceed 10 centimeters (about 4 inches) across, according to a news release from Scripps, meaning the single-celled organism can be as large as a human hand.

The previous depth record for xenophyophores was approximately 7,500 meters (4.7 miles) in the New Hebrides Trench, although sightings in the deepest portion of the Mariana Trench have been reported.

Scientists say xenophyophores are the largest individual cells in existence. Recent studies indicate that by trapping particles from the water, xenophyophores can concentrate high levels of lead, ...