science

Decades after spotting a mysterious creature in the deep, researchers announce a new species


More than two decades after spotting a mysterious, gelatinous, bioluminescent creature swimming in the deep sea, California researchers this week announced that it is a new species of sea slug.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute posted video online of the new sea slug floating gently in the depths.

Using a remote vehicle, scientists with the institute first noticed what they called a “mystery mollusc” in February 2000 at a depth of 8,576 feet (2,614 meters) in the Pacific.

“With a voluminous hooded structure at one end, a flat tail fringed with numerous finger-like projections at the other, and colorful internal organs in between, the team initially struggled to place this animal in a group,” the institute said in a statement Tuesday.

New Sea Slug

New Sea Slug (MBARI)

After reviewing more than 150 sightings of the creature and studying it in a lab, researchers determined it was a new type of nudibranch, or sea slug. It lives in the so-called midnight zone, an area of deep ocean known for “frigid temperatures, inky darkness, and crushing pressure,” the statement said.

The findings were published in the journal Deep-Sea Research Part I.



READ SOURCE

Read More   Significant glacial retreat in West Antarctica began in 1940s

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.