Strange Species From The Deep Amazes Scientists

Our ocean covers more than 70 percent of Earth’s surface, yet scientists have formally identified only a small fraction of the life it holds.

Researchers estimate there could be around two million marine species, but many remain unnamed or undiscovered. Often, the official documentation of a new species can take decades, leaving some to vanish before science ever recognizes them.

To tackle this long-standing problem, an international team of researchers has launched the Ocean Species Discoveries project.

The initiative focuses on publishing concise, high-quality species descriptions to shorten the gap between discovery and formal recognition drastically.

By making the process faster and more efficient, it aims to ensure that marine biodiversity is documented before it’s lost to human-driven threats such as deep-sea mining, pollution, and climate change.

"Our shared vision is making taxonomy faster, more efficient, more accessible and more visible," the team said in their paper.

In its second major collection, published in the Biodiversity Data Journal, over 20 researchers from around the world came together to describe 14 new marine invertebrate species and two new genera.

The discoveries span worms, mollusks, and crustaceans collected from habitats ranging from shallow waters to the ocean’s deepest trenches.

Among the most remarkable finds is Veleropilina gretchenae, a new mollusk species retrieved from the Aleutian Trench at a depth of 6,465 meters.

This makes it the deepest-living animal identified in the collection.

It also marks one of the first times a species in the class Monoplacophora has had a high-quality genome published directly from its holotype specimen – the official reference used to define a species.

Another standout discovery is the carnivorous bivalve Myonera aleutiana, found at depths between 5,170 and 5,280 meters. It sets a new depth record for its genus.

Scientists used non-invasive micro-CT scanning to study it, producing over 2,000 tomographic images that revealed intricate details of its anatomy.

This is the first study to present such detailed internal views of any Myonera species.

In the Galápagos Rift hydrothermal vent fields, researchers described a new amphipod, Apotectonia senckenbergae.

The species was named in honor of Johanna Rebecca Senckenberg (1716–1743), a benefactor whose support for science and medicine helped lay the foundation for the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research.

In Australia’s intertidal zone, a parasitic isopod called Zeaione everta drew attention for its unusual appearance.

The female’s back is covered in small protrusions that resemble popped kernels of popcorn, inspiring its genus name Zea, derived from the corn plant.

This species also represents a completely new genus.