Strange animals called pyrosomes are thriving as the Pacific heats up

Strange colonial animals called pyrosomes are thriving in the north-east Pacific Ocean as it warms up, especially during marine heat waves. But according to a computer model, their success means less food is available to animals higher up the food chain, including fish.

“It could have huge implications for energy flow throughout this ecosystem, and how many fish we can catch,” says Dylan Gomes at Oregon State University.

Pyrosomes, sometimes called sea…