Scientists have discovered 30 new marine species after exploring the deep sea in Western Australia’s coast. They may have even seen the longest animal ever.
After expeditions into underwater canyons, scientists discovered the 150-feet-long siphonophore, a deep-sea predator which is actually made up of numerous small clones acting together as one and spread out like one long string in the water. According to researchers, this is the longest siphonophore they have discovered.
Thanks to this expedition, researchers found numerous deep-sea animals that haven’t been documented in Australia yet, including glass sponges, giant hydroids, octopus squid, and long-tailed sea cucumber.
Nerida Wilson, the senior research scientist who led the expedition, said many researchers discovered the longest siphonophore when they didn’t expect. After the discovery, many scientists drifted out of the control room.
Read More: Family Leaves Their Burned Dog After A Housefire, Luckily His Story Doesn’t End Here
As soon as the word spread out, numerous people went into the control room to see the huge organism who looks like a spiral UFO. They couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
Siphonophores feed just like jellyfish, by stinging their tentacles in the water. When a fish appears into the curtain of tentacles, it gets paralyzed.
The Schmidt Ocean Institute is a non-profit private group focused on oceanographic research. This group led the expedition and included the provision of a research vessel and a remotely operated vehicle.
The siphonophore and some of the other unknown species were discovered in a protected region known as the Gascoyne Coast bioregion. Since it’s a protected area, scientists don’t have a clue what kind of creatures live there. With the expedition, they wanted to discover the incredible biodiversity there and they expect to discover other new species.
However, it may take several months of even years before researchers identify the new organisms.
What an amazing discovery! We hope we will get new information about the other new marine species.
