Golden Orb off Alaska Unmasked as Giant Anemone Base

In August 2023, a NOAA Ocean Exploration remotely operated vehicle captured footage of a strange, golden, mound-shaped object with a hole, stuck to a rock at a depth of over 10,000 feet in the Gulf of Alaska. The four-inch-wide orb, collected during the expedition, baffled researchers who sent it to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History's NOAA Fisheries National Systematics Laboratory for analysis. Initial guesses ranged from an egg to an alien artifact, captivating Alaskans from coastal communities like Seward to Sitka.

Nearly three years later, on April 21, 2026, scientists published results on bioRxiv revealing the orb as the durable cuticle and tissue base of *Relicanthus daphneae*, a giant deep-sea anemone in the Hexacorallia class. Microscopic examination uncovered spirocysts—specialized stinging cells unique to cnidarians like anemones and corals—while whole-genome sequencing confirmed a genetic match to a 2021 specimen, ruling out contamination.

The golden structure, typically hidden under the anemone's body, was likely left behind when the creature detached and moved or died, a behavior observed in prior *R. daphneae* collections where most lack cuticles. 'It provides closure to the case of the golden orb,' the researchers wrote, emphasizing the role of scientific collections in deep-sea mysteries. NOAA spokesperson Emily Crum noted to Alaska Beacon reporter Yereth Rosen that the anemone's fate remains unknown.

This identification underscores Alaska's Gulf of Alaska as a hotspot for rare cnidarians, with depths exceeding 25,000 feet harboring untold biodiversity. The NOAA expedition, part of ongoing Pacific Arctic missions, continues to map these waters vital to Alaska's fisheries and ecosystems.