A 45-day expedition in the area Clarion Clippertonwhich is located in the Pacific Ocean, between Mexico and Hawaii, discovered new and strange species for science, transparent, crystallized and some with extraordinary abilities that they had to develop in the inhospitable environment of the seabed.
The investigation concluded in March, but the findings of the abyssal zone, which is one of the deepest levels of the sea at about 4,000 and 6,000 meters deep. There, no sunlight reaches and temperatures reach just 1.5 °C.
Thomas Dahlgren, a marine ecologist at the University of Gothenburg and the NORCE research institute, who traveled on the British research ship James Cook’s expedition, highlighted how little life has been discovered in the depths of the ocean.
“These areas are the least explored on Earth. It is estimated that only one in ten animal species that live down here has been described by science“He said in a statement from the University of Gothenburg.
“This is one of the few cases in which researchers can participate in the discovery of new species and ecosystems, in the same way they did in the 18th century. It’s very exciting”he added.
The new species of the Pacific Ocean
According to the study house, these rare creatures appeared in an area of the abyssal plains, exactly 3,500 and 5,500 meters deep. Among them are new types of cucumbers, glass sponges and a particular sea pig.
One of the most surprising was a sea cucumber from the family Elpidiidaewhich was nicknamed “unicumber”. This animal It is transparent and you can clearly see the internal organs that make up your digestive system.. Scientists still don’t know what its tail works for, but theorize that it can use it to swim.
Likewise, they observed a rare type of anemone that feeds on sea snow that falls from the surface. Marine snow is small particles of organic matter or dead organisms that fall to the ocean floor and concentrate similar to ice flakes.
This is a rare sea sponge. Glass sponges are already known to science, their skeleton is made of silica, but They had never seen one with the strange shape of a pole. For now, it is unknown why this is so.
The rat tail fish They are already known to science, but one has never been seen at this depth. This means that some can survive the extreme pressure of the seabed.
He pink sea pig or ‘Barbie Sea Pig’as they call it in English, was also one of the most extraordinary species, which receives this name for its pink color and small feet.
These little pigs were “one of the largest species found on the expedition. They act as vacuum cleaners of the ocean floor and they specialize in finding sediments that have passed through the smallest number of stomachs,” Dahlgren said.
Although these animals are far from humans, are threatened by mining extraction, as deep down there are rare minerals that many companies are currently searching for because they can be used for green technologiessuch as solar panels, electric car batteries and others.
Now, experts want to know more about how these ecosystems work and what the impact would be of carrying out underwater mining projects in environments where these recently discovered rare species live.
“We need to know more about this environment to be able to protect the species that live here. Today, 30% of these considered marine areas are protected and we need to know if this is enough to ensure that these species are not in danger of extinction,” Dahlgren concluded.
