"Nocticula sp is a type of phytoplankton that turns this color based on what it eats (which is primarily other types of phytoplankton including diatoms and dinoflagellates)," she told Chron.

The two most prominent types of plankton in the ocean are zooplankton, which are tiny animal organisms, and phytoplankton, which are plantlike. (Other forms of plankton include bacterial and fungal.