Watch the Flying Spaghetti Monster Float Through the Deep Ocean (VIDEO)

First Posted: Aug 17, 2015 06:38 AM EDT

The Flying Spaghetti Monster may actually exist. Petroleum workers have found a creature living deep beneath the waves of the ocean, with a myriad of thin appendages that look like cooked pasta.

The "spaghetti monster" is really called Bathyphysa conifer. It's a siphonophore that's related to the jellyfish as well as coral species. With its white coloring and "noodly-like" appendages, this animal looks more than a little strange.

The new animal was first spotted off of the coast of Angola by workers with the oil and gas company BP. At the time, the workers were collecting video footage of the ocean floor about 4,000 feet below sea level using a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV).

BP gave the footage to the UK's National Oceanography Center after they were unable to identify the creature. Researchers then took a closer look and identified it as a siphonophore, which makes it related to animals such as corals and jellyfish.

"This unusual creature has sparked a huge reaction on the internet with over a quarter of a million people watching the video over the last week!" said Daniel Jones, one of the researchers at UK's National Oceanography Center, in a news release. "The video was sent to me by oil industry ROV pilots through the SERPENT network. It is a great example of how collaboration with industry can allow us to see much more of the deep sea and its strange and wonderful marine life."

Want to see the creature for yourself? Check out the video below, courtesy of YouTube