Over 100 never-before-seen species discovered along deep sea mountain range.
More than 100 new species have been discovered on an underwater mountain massif off the coast of Chile, IFLScence reported on Thursday.
An international team of scientists who recently explored the seamounts along the Nazca and Salas y Gómez Ridge discovered such animals as corals, glass sponges, sea urchins, amphipods, lobsters, plus a gaggle of peculiar fish and squid. The scientists used an underwater robot.
Each seamount was found to be home to a completely different ecosystem. This includes swathes of thriving deep-sea coral reefs and sponge gardens, many of which may already be vulnerable, as reported by IFLScence.
“We far exceeded our hopes on this expedition. You always expect to find new species in these remote and poorly explored areas, but the amount we found, especially for some groups like sponges, is mind-blowing”, marine biologist Sellanes said in a statement sent to IFLScience.
The scientists hope their findings will help show the urgent need to protect marine environments in the Pacific and beyond.
“These thriving and healthy ecosystems indicate that the Nazca-Desventuradas and Juan Fernández Marine Parks effectively protect delicate marine habitats”, explained Sellanes.
It is reported that in order to confirm which species have never been identified before, the team is closely analyzing the specimens’ physiology and genetics to confirm whether they are, indeed, new to science.