Marine biologist at Schmidt Ocean Institute R/V Falco Two expeditions in 2023 exploring seamounts off Costa Rica's Pacific coast discovered at least four new species of deep-sea octopus.
A newly hatched octopus swims away from its egg near a small rocky outcrop informally known as El Dorado Hill. Image credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute.
“The impact is that R/V Falco Research to understand Costa Rica's deep Pacific Ocean will continue into the future and hopefully generate awareness that will lead to policies that protect the country's deep sea,” said Dr. Jorge Cortés, a researcher at the University of Costa Rica.
“We hope this expedition will inspire new generations. Further international cooperation is needed to increase knowledge about our deep-sea heritage.”
During the first expedition in June 2023, Dr. Cortes and colleagues discovered two octopus farms associated with thermal springs.
Six months later, they returned to the nursery and confirmed that they appear to be active year-round.
They also observed several other new species of octopus away from the hot springs.
One of the new species belongs to the genus Octopus Muusocops The octopus is named after the small rocky outcrop, informally known as El Dorado Hills, where it was first discovered.
This is a different species, closely related to, but a different deep-sea octopus farm, found in California's Davidson Seamount in 2018.
Of the four new species in Costa Rica, only the dorado octopus was observed spawning in hot springs.
This discovery is Muusocops This genus evolved to raise its eggs in warm springs on the ocean floor.
“After hard work, our team has discovered a new hydrothermal spring off the coast of Costa Rica, which has become a nursery for deep-sea octopuses and a unique biodiversity site,” said Dr. Beth Orcutt, a researcher at the Bigelow Institute of Marine Science. We confirmed that this is the habitat.”
“It was less than 10 years ago that low-temperature hydrothermal eruptions were detected in ancient volcanoes located far from mid-ocean ridges.”
“These locations are very difficult to find because you can't detect any trace of it in the water column.”
Researchers also discovered a thriving deep-sea skating nursery on the top of another seamount in Costa Rican waters, which they named Skatepark.
They also discovered three hydrothermal springs within the region, located 10 to 30 nautical miles from each other.
These springs all differ from each other in the temperature and chemistry of their fluids, indicating that unique reaction processes drive their formation.
“The Schmidt Ocean Institute supports the global scientific community wherever it is located. Falcor ” said Dr. Jyothika Virmani, Executive Director. Schmidt Ocean Institute.
“Dr. Cortés and Dr. Orcutt have assembled a team that truly embodies international collaboration that empowers Costa Rica's domestic scientists and enriches local knowledge and understanding of the ocean.”
“We look forward to operating off the coasts of Peru and Chile in 2024 and welcoming scientists from South America.”
Source: www.sci.news
