MONTEREY, California -- They look like something out of George Lucas' imagination. One creature is so rare and living so deep underwater that scientists merely call it the mystery mollusk. It's kind of like a jellyfish, but with an orange blob in the middle. Is it the creature's brain? Its heart? Scientists simply don't know. As the tape plays back, another bizarre creature pops up. It's called a halosaur, and only three have ever been photographed before. Same goes for something called a sea toad, a puffy, spiny fish that appears to have lips. Tonight's "Tech Live" reports on how we got a glimpse of the rare creatures from the deep.

These extraordinary organisms, living thousands of feet below the ocean's surface at crushing depths and in near-freezing water, are creating more questions than answers. The footage is the fruit of a weeklong expedition to a place called the Davidson Seamount, beyond California's Monterey Bay and near an area called the Monterey Canyon, which is as deep and as big as the Grand Canyon.

The creatures were discovered on the latest mission to this area, 4,000 feet below the ocean's surface and on the slopes of an underwater volcano that goes another 8,000 feet deeper. Researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, or MBARI, conducted the mission.

President Clinton designated the Davidson Seamount region as one of three targets for a new era in oceanic exploration in June 2000. Clinton directed the US Department of Commerce to convene a panel of leading ocean explorers, educators, and scientists to develop recommendations for a national oceans exploration strategy.

Surprises under the sea

"Every time you came to the top of one of these ridges, it was like you felt like a kid on Christmas morning," said Dr. Randy Kochevar, the outreach coordinator of the mission. "It was really fun. It was an amazing experience."

Explorers used a remotely operated vehicle, or ROV, controlled by scientists aboard a large ship -- in this case the Western Flyer -- patrolling on the ocean's surface. The ROV has a depth range of 13,000 feet.

It's able to shoot video and collect live animals with a mechanical arm delicate enough to capture even the most fragile life forms. The vehicle's capabilities, and the data and video it collected, are sending a buzz through the diving community.

"We know more about the dark side of the moon than we do about the ocean's floor," said Paul Cain, a volunteer diver at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. "And that's because in some ways it's easier to get to the moon than to the ocean's floor."

First look

The expedition, run by MBARI, the aquarium's sister organization, also discovered coral forests rising 12 feet tall, and living sponges the size of Volkswagen Beetles.

"It's impossible to overstate the role technology played in enabling us to explore Davidson Seamount the way we did," Kochevar said.

The expedition was the first detailed exploration of the underwater mountain, which reaches higher than Oregon's Mount Hood. The water temperature at those depths reaches just above freezing, meaning operating any kind of technology there is a tremendous challenge. Eleven scientists and a crew of 14 were on the mission. The results continue to be analyzed. Researchers shot more than 90 hours of videotape using a ROV called The Tiburon.

Scientists believe the Davidson Seamount formed more than 12 million years ago because of volcanic activity. The entire area stretches 26 miles.

For more information on the expedition, go to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Ocean Explorer website.