Is it, a dog toy? A children’s toy? An adult’s … er, never mind.

No one, esteemed scientists included, know what the hell retired United States Naval officer Dr. Robert Ballard and his crew aboard the E/V Nautilus found recently while cruising near California’s Channel Islands. But it’s purple, and it’s orby, it’s blobby, and some have even likened it to a disco ball of sorts.

Here’s the crew discussing their mysterious discovery while they look at it:

More from NPR:

The team was able to suction up the 5 cm-wide orb, after a close encounter with a meddling crab. It was found in an underwater canyon 5,301 feet deep, spokesperson Susan Poulton from the E/V Nautilus told The Two-Way in an email.

After a closer look, the team says it is most likely a pleurobranch – a type of sea slug. That’s a nudibranch relative – and as Smithsonian explains: “Known for their brilliant hues, nudibranchs are a type of sea slug that inhabit a range of environments.”

If the name “Ballard” sounds familiar, it should. The American military veteran (he also served some time in the U.S. Army before joining the navy and participating in special assignments until 1995) headed the expedition that discovered the Titanic (yes, THAT Titanic) as well as the German battleship Bismarck.

As for the glowing violet ball — that just so happens to somehow be a living thing, it’s still unclear whether it’s really a pleurobranch, or an egg sac. Academia is torn on the matter, as for now. Some say that if it is a pleurobranch, it’s one that’s never been discovered before, because of its color. Others speculate that it could be a “fibrous sponge.”

While not formally schooled in marine biology, we venture another guess, one that’s far more occult than what learned professionals in the field have suggested.

What if it’s the late great Prince, screwing with us from beyond??