'Unbelievable' marine life discovered in first-ever Australian deep sea investigation
A team of scientists recently explored Australia’s deep sea — here’s what they found.
Its sharp thorns remind scientist Tom O’Hara of the Game of Thrones crown, so the Brittle Star was named after it.
Forty scientists from seven countries set out aboard The Investigator in May to explore a part of the world no one has ever seen: the dark and freezing abyss 14,000 feet below the ocean’s surface.
Despite covering half of the world’s oceans and one third of Australia’s territory, the abyss still remains the world’s most unexplored environment, according to the ship’s chief scientist, Dr. Tim O’Hara. “Abyssal animals have been around for at least 40 million years, but until recently only a handful of samples had been collected from Australia’s abyss.”
It has been a month since the team returned, and looking at their findings, you might think they were on a rocket ship.
As part of their inventory, they keep sea spiders the size of dinner plates, faceless fish, glowing sea stars, fire-red shrimp with glowing horns, hermaphrodite lizard fish, sea pigs, and fish that have photosensitive plates.
Human eyes had never seen about a third of their catches.
O’Hara described it as a voyage of discovery. I find it amazing that it is still possible in the 21st century, but you can! ”””
Here’s where you can check them out first:
1. Brittle Stars
Today, there could be 10,000 different species of brittle stars in the ocean, according to experts.
2. Viperfish
The viperfish glows in order to attract food.
3. Peanut-worm
This peanut worm has gained a lot of Internet attention for its unusual appearance.
4. Grid eye Spiderfish
These large, greenish plates on their heads may be used to detect other bioluminescent creatures, according to Grideye Spiderfish.
5. Glass Sponge
A sponge with glass ends
6. Lizard Fish
A struggle to find love in the deep has led the lizard fish to evolve into hermaphrodites, as it is even harder to find a meal in the deep. The Bathysaurus ferox has both male and female reproductive organs, so whatever other Bathysaurus ferox they encounter will be Mr. and Miss
Baby lizard fish have hinged teeth that prevent prey from escaping once they are bitten. These creatures are very rare because there is very little prey 3,500 feet underwater.
7. Dumbo Octopus
A Dumbo Octopus floats through the water with its fins flapping like an elephant’s ears.
8. Sea spider
Sea Spider
9. Sea pig
Sea pig
10. Deep Sea Shark
11. Rock Crab
12. Blind Cusk Eel
13. Coffinfish
13. Tripodfish
14. More Brittle Stars
15. Faceless Fish
16. Sea Spiders
17. Velvet Belly Lantern Sharks
18. Heterocarpus shrimp
19. Deep-sea shrimp
20. Squat Lobster
