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If there were such a thing as an underwater lusus naturae show , then this would be it . Scientists from the Natural History Museum ( NHM ) in London have discover a mysterious zoo of marine megafauna deeply in the Pacific Ocean , and heaps of the oddball creatures could be species that are unknown to science .
With the assistance of a remotely engage vehicle ( ROV ) during thesummerof 2018 , scientists regain 55 specimens lallygag on the westerly boundary of an abysm located between Hawaii and Mexico , rough 16,400 foot ( 5,000 m ) below the ocean surface . Of that accumulation of oceanic oddities , seven were of late confirmed to be newfound specie ; the research worker ' determination were published July 18 in the journalZooKeys .
A type of sea cucumber, this gummy squirrel looks frighteningly similar to a banana.
While the easterly side of the abyss has been explored quite regularly , its western serving , which is known as the Pacific Clarion - Clipperton Zone and includes several nearby seamounts ( submerged mountains ) , is less approachable and has therefore remained mostly unexplored , making it a prime locale for key fresh species .
" About 150 years ago , the [ HMS]Challenger expeditionexplored this area , but as far as I know , there has n’t been much written report done since that time , " Guadalupe Bribiesca - Contreras , a NHM life scientist in the life sciences department and the study ’s lead generator , told Live Science . " This part of the ocean has barely been bear upon . "
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Chrysogorgia abludo, a type of coral, is one of seven confirmed new species found during the expedition.
During the 2018 expedition , the scientists more than made up for lost clip . One after another , each raw tool they discovered was as enthralling as the one that issue forth before : from an pliable , banana - shapedsea cucumberknown as a gummy squirrel ( Psychropotes longicauda ) — the individual that they found unfold intimately 2 foot ( 60 cm ) long — to a ocean sponge in the genusHyalonema , whose consistence resembled a tulip .
Of the potential new mintage that the scientist let on , the one that caught Bribiesca - Contreras ' attending was a case ofcoralin theChrysogorgiagenus . Its wan orange polyp resembled that ofC. abludo , a species that ’s usually found in the Atlantic Ocean . But the researchers subsequently describe it as a new species that has yet to be describe . This marks the first time that a coral of this genus has been found in the Pacific .
" At first we thought it was the same species , but upon further molecular work , we learned that it ’s morphologically different , " Bribiesca - Contrerasshe said . " One thing that always strikes me is that a lot of these lifeforms we see have n’t changed much over the course of millions of years , which is mad to think [ about ] , " she said . " Many of these metal money we ’ve visualise as fogey , and they front exactly the same now . "
A sea sponge (hyalonema) whose body resembles a tulip.
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Many of the bizarre adaptations in these mysterious - sea crazy have persisted for so long because they improve the brute ' chances of outlast in a very heavy environment , Bribiesca - Contrerasshe summate .
" Where they live this deep in the ocean can be challenging , " she said . " There ’s no light , their bodies are withstanding crushing pressure and there ’s lilliputian sustenance available . "
Prior to the NHM pleasure trip , many of these animals have only been glimpsed in photographs or TV , or are known from their fossilized stiff . This commission enable scientist to analyze the specimen as they act freely through their sea home ground , and then later in the research laboratory . Such investigations allow scientist to better infer remote and untouched cryptical - ocean ecosystem — an important goal as the deep - sea mining industry continues to enlarge worldwide .
" We really need to empathize this ecosystem so that we can come up with design for conservation , " she said . " At this point , the little selective information we have about this environment and the specie that live there makes it very difficult to know how prejudicious mining could be . "
in the beginning write on Live Science .
