Janice R. Andrews
Scientists searching the ocean’s depths have made a remarkable discovery: they have discovered a whole new species that has baffled specialists.
The incredible discovery was made by researchers exploring the deep, mostly unexplored waters of Bounty Trough, which is located 15,748 feet east of New Zealand’s South Island. They also discovered over 100 new types of marine life.
Three different kinds of fish, a shrimp, an unusual sea cucumber known as the “gummy squirrel,” and even a sea pig are among the recently found species. Interestingly, the haul also includes a mysterious kind of octocoral, which is a class of marine organisms that includes soft corals and sea fans. This suggests that a new genus may have been discovered.
With excitement, taxonomist Dr. Michela Mitchell of the Queensland Museum in Australia said, “We now think it could be a new species of octocoral, but also a new genus.” “Even more excitingly, it might be a completely new group outside of the octocoral,” she continued. If so, that is an important discovery for the deep oceans and provides us with a greater understanding of the planet’s distinctive biodiversity.”
Experts were stunned when more investigation ruled out the organism’s initial suggestions that it might be a sea star or an anemone.
The number of new species that have been dug up from the ocean below is projected to exceed 100, according to Oxford University marine researcher Alex Rogers, a British citizen who co-led the expedition.
Other expedition leader Sadie Mills noted, “We’ve gone to lots of different habitats and discovered a whole range of new species, from fish to snails, to corals and sea cucumbers – really interesting species that are going to be new to science,” highlighting the startling vitality of life within the barren depths of the 500-mile-long Bounty Trough.
The mission, which left from Wellington and lasted 21 days in February, included about 20 scientists. Their research, which was made public on Monday, provided insight into the many unanswered questions about the deep ocean.
The researchers collected the marine animals using machines equipped with nets, including ones that swept the ocean floor and were placed slightly above it, in addition to baited nets.
This finding highlights the vast extent of our ignorance about the deep ocean, of which there are only a few hundred known species out of an estimated one to two million, according to Ocean Census, an environmental non-governmental organization founded last year by the Japanese philanthropy Nippon Foundation and the UK-based exploration foundation Nekton.
