It might look like a flying saucer, but this curious creature is actually a deep sea jellyfish that was found off the coast of Japan.

It is one of many creatures that have been logged in the huge Census of Marine Life. Scientists working on it have just released a roll of species that live in the world's oceans.

The inventory of new and known species covers 25 areas, including Antarctica, the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Other areas have yet to finish compiling their results.

The average number of known species in each area was just under 11,000, but ranged from 2,600 to 33,000. Crustaceans, such as crabs, shrimp and barnacles, make up 19% of these species. Fish, including sharks, are responsible for 12% of species. The ‘other vertebrates‘ category, which includes whales, seals and sea birds, makes up just 2% of the oceans’ species.

The final census, which will be released in October, is expected to show over 230,000 known species in the oceans. However, experts estimate that there is four times this amount yet to be discovered.

Click here to see our cool gallery of the weird and wonderful creatures that scientists have found in the oceans.

Image by JAMSTEC