A carnivorous “death ball” sponge discovered almost 12,000 feet deep in the Southern Ocean.
The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census / Schmidt Ocean Institute
Scientists have discovered 30 new species in the deep recesses of the Southern Ocean, including iridescent scale worms and a carnivorous “death ball” sponge.
The small, round sponge, of the genus Chondrocladia, is covered in tiny hooks that trap prey, according to the Nippon Foundation–Nekton Ocean Census, which confirmed the discoveries. The scale worms, of the genus Eulagisca, are armored and glow faintly blue. Scientists also detailed new kinds of sea pens, sea stars, bivalves, and black corals found in the ocean depths.
Left: An iridescent scale worm discovered more than 9,000 feet deep. Right: A new kind of sea pen found in the Southern Ocean.
Jialing Cai / The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census / Schmidt Ocean Institute; Paul Satchell / The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census / Schmidt Ocean Institute
Overall, researchers collected thousands of specimens and photos from the floor of the Southern Ocean, searching in trenches, around dormant volcanoes, and near hydrothermal vents. In their searching, they uncovered new coral gardens and recorded the first ever footage of a juvenile colossal squid. On one foray, scientists explored a swath of seafloor uncovered by the calving of a massive ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula, finding an array of sea life that had previously been sealed beneath more than 400 feet of ice.
“The Southern Ocean remains profoundly under-sampled,” said Michelle Taylor, head of science at The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census. “To date, we have only assessed under 30 percent of the samples collected from this expedition, so confirming 30 new species already shows how much biodiversity is still undocumented.”
Left: A juvenile colossal squid found near the South Sandwich Islands. Right: A deep-sea coral garden discovered in the Southern Ocean.
Schmidt Ocean Institute; The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census / Schmidt Ocean Institute
Scientists estimate there are as many as 2 million species in the oceans, but of these, just 240,000 have been formally identified. Finding new species, they say, could lead to breakthroughs in conservation, medicine, and materials science. The Nippon Foundation–Nekton Ocean Census has set a goal of uncovering 100,000 new ocean species.
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