Octocorals are a group of marine organisms that includes sea fans, sea whips and soft corals. Photo / Getty
Octocorals are a group of marine organisms that includes sea fans, sea whips and soft corals. Photo / Getty
Scientists exploring one of the remotest parts of the ocean have discovered an entirely new species that has baffled experts.
The discovery of the creature along with 100 new species of marine life was made by scientists exploring the pitch-black depths of the largely unchartered waters of Bounty Trough, which plunges to a depth of 4799m to the east of the South Island.
New species found include three types of fish, a shrimp, a variety of sea cucumber known as the gummy squirrel and a sea pig. The rich haul of life also included an unknown type of octocoral.
Octocorals are a group of marine animals that includes sea fans, sea whips and soft corals. The “octo” part of the name denotes that they have polyps with eight tentacles.
Explorers think they have found not only a new species of octocoral, but potentially an entirely new genus. The creature is so unusual that it has “baffled” scientists, according to Ocean Census, an environmental NGO, which led the deep sea expedition.
“We now think it could be a new species of octocoral, but also a new genus,” said Dr Michela Mitchell, a taxonomist from Queensland Museum in Australia.
A possible new species of shrimp was found. Photo / NIWA
“Even more excitingly, it could be a whole new group outside of the octocoral. If it is, that is a significant find for the deep sea and gives us a much clearer picture of the planet’s unique biodiversity.”
Experts initially thought the strange new organism could be a sea anemone or a sea star, but later discounted those possibilities.
“We’ve got a lot of experts here having a look who are very excited,” Mitchell said.
As scientists analyse the creatures they dredged up from the ocean floor, the number of new species will probably exceed 100, said Alex Rogers, a British marine biologist from Oxford University who was co-leader of the expedition.
“It looks like we have a great haul of new, undiscovered species.”
Sadie Mills, another expedition leader, said scientists had found that despite its depth and forbidding conditions, the 804km-long Bounty Trough is “flourishing” with life.
The canyon is named after the nearby Bounty Islands, which are in turn named after HMS Bounty of mutiny fame.
‘Species that are new to science’
Mills said: “We’ve gone to lots of different habitats and discovered a whole range of new species, from fish to snails, to corals and sea cucumbers – really interesting species that are going to be new to science.”
About 20 scientists took part in the 21-day expedition in February, which departed from Wellington, announcing their findings on Monday.
They collected the marine species with a device fitted with nets: one that sweeps the ocean floor and another about 1m above it. Baited nets were also deployed.
The discoveries have provided an insight into how much there is still to learn about the deep ocean, the scientists said.
Only 10 per cent of the estimated one to two million marine species have been discovered and documented, according to Ocean Census.
