Found in Arctic waters, this rare deep-water species of larvacean, Oikopleura gorskyi, eats by filtering particles from the seawater it drifts through. Larvaceans build 'houses' around themselves made of protein that helps them filter the water even better. And when the filters in its house get clogged, the plankter sheds its house and builds a new one.

The larvacean in this picture, however, is homeless: it has recently shed its house. See a picture of a larvacean ‘house’ and learn more about the organisms NOAA found Under the Arctic Ice.