The inhabitants of the ocean’s depths are more extraordinary than ever.
Utilizing an advanced submarine that dives deeper than Mount Everest, researchers have unearthed a vibrant ecosystem approximately 30,000 feet beneath the Pacific Ocean’s surface.
A research team led by Chinese scientists found it racing through fields of vivid crimson tubes and interacting with a unique type of worm that resembles a flower sprouting from the Earth’s crust.
Each organism thrived in dense beds of up to nine inches in length, with snow-like microbial mats creating ethereal underwater dust that spanned tens of feet.
Dominique Papineau, a senior research scientist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, shared insights with NBC News.
Hadal chemical synthesis-based community, CAS’s Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering
Papineau, one of the study’s authors, announced the findings in a Wednesday publication in Nature. “Many Hadal organisms from these trenches exhibit remarkable shapes and colors,” he noted, explaining that they survive by hosting microorganisms that metabolize methane instead of relying on photosynthesis.
The depth of 19,000 to 30,000 feet is the deepest zone in the ocean, occurring where one tectonic plate collides with another. “Existing theories suggest that chemical bond-based communities are becoming increasingly common in the Hadal Trench, yet few have been discovered,” Papineau stated.
Karien Schnabel, a marine ecologist from New Zealand’s Earth Sciences, commented that the discovery was “truly remarkable” even though she was not part of the study.
“In these extraordinarily deep regions, there were an abundance of signs of life and wildlife,” she remarked.
A winter valley recorded by the crew’s dive fendou at 30,000 feet. CAS’s Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering Polycharts inhabit the tube dominate at the deepest 22,500 meters of the Aleutian, with spots of white microbial mats. CAS’s Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering
“We don’t generally expect life to flourish in these extreme conditions due to the immense pressure,” she commented regarding the organisms.
The researchers highlighted, “The depths explored here, alongside the robust communities found, significantly broaden the known habitats, depths, and biogeographic distributions of numerous species.”
With sunlight unable to penetrate, these organisms depend on chemical synthesis for nourishment, rather than photosynthesis.
“These ecosystems are abundant in hydrogen sulfide, methane-rich fluids flowing through faults amid deep sediment layers in the trench,” the researchers explained.
They also endure crushing pressures of up to 98 megapascals (MPA), exceeding six times the force of a crocodile’s bite.
The diving for this recent study took place in July and August of the previous year, conducted by an international group of scientists from the Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
A small porthole of three submarines. Karien Schnabel
They examined the trenches of Krill Kamchatka, which stretch from Hokkaido in Japan to the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, spanning approximately 1,300 miles and integrating with the Aleutian trench that measures around 1,800 miles from Alaska to the Kenai Peninsula.
Schnabel had previously undertaken deep-sea studies aboard the same three submarines, known as Fendouzhe, utilized in this research.
She recounted her deep-sea experiences, one of which gained notoriety when a submarine malfunctioned during a 2023 mission to the Titanic wreck.
“Naturally, there’s a bit of anxiety when hanging over a 10-kilometer chasm on Earth,” she recalled, having explored New Zealand’s northern trenches in 2022, plunging over 32,000 feet below the Pacific Ocean’s surface.
“The window is merely 12 centimeters in diameter. It’s impossible to stretch your legs while seated on a tiny bench within a compact titanium sphere measuring only 1.8 meters in width,” she detailed.
Free-Moving Polychaete navigates dense colonies of Frenor Siboglinide. CAS’s Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering
She expressed her amazement at the sights encountered at the trench’s bottom, viewed through the submarine’s 4.7-inch window.
“As I began my descent and eventually came to rest on the seabed, I was astonished by the multitude of life forms I witnessed,” she reflected.
While it was expected that life could persist at these depths, the sheer abundance of ecosystems was a pleasant surprise for the researchers.
The results “challenge existing models of life in extreme conditions” and indicate that such ecosystems may be more prevalent than previously recognized.
The Carnarvon Flapjack, known scientifically as opisthoteuthis carnarvonensis, is a newly identified species of octopus. This small, gelatinous octopus measures approximately 4 cm in diameter and features large eyes and vibrant blood-red tentacles.
The Flapjack Octopus belongs to the Opistrotidae family, making it a deep-sea octopod and part of the finned octopod sub-order known for its liver-like characteristics.
Globally, around 50 species are recognized, with 15 of them recorded in Australian waters.
These octopuses have the remarkable ability to flatten their bodies resembling pancakes or flapjacks, hence their common name, or they can appear as small, gelatinous umbrellas.
With disproportionately large eyes, they are well-equipped to spot prey in the dimly lit depths they inhabit.
Their diet mainly consists of worms and small crustaceans, which they catch using their tentacles.
Dr. Tristan Werhev, a systematic taxonomist from the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, stated, “The octopods of the Opistrotidae family are characterized by a distinct combination of external and internal features.”
He further described their anatomy, noting, “The very short dome-like mantle and terminal fins look visually different compared to their proportionately large eyes and thick arms.”
“Internally, they have branched optic nerves and an inner shell reminiscent of leaves (Gradius remnant). These features are shared only with the Cirroctopodidae family, which differs by having relatively large fins, no enlarged male suckers, and unique pallial intubation.”
Opisthoteuthis carnarvonensis is the 10th and latest species described based on specimens collected during the 2022 voyage of the Research Vessel (RV) Investigator.
During the month-long expedition, researchers employed advanced cameras, nets, and sleds to gather samples and capture images from deep-sea environments thousands of meters below the surface.
Five specimens used for the species description were collected from depths ranging between 1,044 and 1,510 m near Carnarvon Canyon and Gascoyne Marine Parks in Western Australia.
Dr. Venetia Joscelyne, a researcher at CSIRO Marine National Facilities, stated, “The 2022 voyage off Western Australia was crucial for enhancing our understanding of the region’s undersea habitats and biodiversity.”
She added, “For the first time, Carnarvon Canyon and Gascoyne Marine Park have been meticulously mapped and explored down to over 5,000 meters.”
“Conducting research in remote offshore or deep-sea environments is typically challenging; the RV Investigator provides researchers with an impressive array of tools for this purpose.”
“During just this single research voyage, we have observed many new species being identified.”
“Incredibly, scientists estimate that more than 1,000 new species remain to be described from specimens collected during RV Investigator voyages over the past decade.”
“These findings are crucial for aiding our understanding of the conservation needs of marine parks and for helping Australia preserve the natural value of its marine environments in the future.”
Dr. Verhoeff noted, “Australia exhibits a higher biodiversity of Dumbo octopus species compared to other nations, with many of these species documented or described in recent years.”
“The Carnarvon Flapjack Octopus is named after the location of its discovery and is solely known from the Carnarvon Canyon and Gascoyne Marine Parks off the coast of northwest Australia.”
“Their presence enhances the ecological significance of these recently established marine parks.”
“Such discoveries have greatly contributed to our knowledge of Australia’s deep-sea ecology and biodiversity.”
“Describing new species is also vital for future ecological research and assessing conservation populations.”
Dr. Lisa Kilkendale, a researcher at the Western Australian Museum, pointed out that a paper detailing the discovery was published this month in Australian Taxonomy.
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TJ Verhoeff. 2025. Flapjack Australia’s Octopod (Cephalopoda: opisthoteuthidae), Part II: Northwest Australia and adjacent seas. Australian Taxonomy 92:1-28; doi:10.54102/ajt.c46g9
Andrew Wozniak, a chemical oceanographer at the University of Delaware, found it difficult to comprehend the scene before him. Dr. Wozniak was stationed at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, nearly 1.6 miles below the surface, aboard Alvin, the research submersible. As far as his eyes could scan, there lay a nearly desolate expanse of jet-black rock.
Just a day prior, this area was alive with the bustling activity around the Tika hydrothermal vent, situated about 1,300 miles west of Costa Rica. The rocky seabed was home to a vibrant ecosystem, teeming with life. Bright crimson-tipped giant tubeworms intertwined with clusters of mussels, encapsulated in a tapestry of thriving organisms. Crustaceans scuttled about, while ethereal white fish glided gracefully in search of their next meal.
Now, however, only a solitary cluster of dead tubeworms remained amid the darkened landscape. The vivid orange glow of molten lava flickered through the rocks, and a fine mist clouded the water.
“My mind was racing to grasp what had transpired,” Dr. Wozniak said. “Where did everything go?”
Then it dawned on him: he and his fellow explorers had observed the aftermath of a volcanic eruption that had obliterated a once-thriving ecosystem beneath a fresh layer of lava.
This marked the first time scientists had directly witnessed a clear eruption along a ridge in the Central Ocean, a volcanic mountain chain stretching approximately 40,000 miles globally. Baseball seams signify the boundaries of tectonic plates that, when separated, can trigger volcanic eruptions, creating new crust and layers of Earth’s structure beneath the ocean. Approximately 80% of Earth’s volcanic activity occurs at the seafloor, predominantly along the mid-ocean ridge. Before this recent observation, only two underwater eruptions had been documented, neither occurring along the mid-ocean ridge, noted Bill Chadwick, a volcanologist from Oregon State University who was not part of the research team.
“This is an incredibly exciting first,” he remarked.
Such observations provide an invaluable opportunity for scientists to explore fundamental processes of our planet: the formation of new seabeds and their dynamic influence on marine chemistry, ecosystems, microbial life, and beyond.
“Experiencing it in real time is an extraordinary gift. I’m truly envious,” said Deborah Kelly, a marine geologist at the University of Washington who did not participate in the research.
Dr. Wozniak and his team set sail on the R/V Atlantis before diving into the Alvin submersible. Their initial mission was to examine the carbon emissions from Tika’s vents, funded by the National Science Foundation. Hydrothermal vents act as planetary piping systems, discharging heated seawater from the seabed and facilitating the transport of heat and chemicals from within the Earth, thus regulating marine chemistry and sustaining a unique community of deep-sea organisms.
Tuesday morning’s dive commenced like any other. Alyssa Wentzel, an undergraduate from the University of Delaware, accompanied Dr. Wozniak in Alvin, sharing her excitement about descending into the ocean’s depths for a 70-minute journey to the seabed. As the lights dimmed, bioluminescent jellyfish and tiny zooplankton danced in the water.
“It felt magical,” she remarked. “It truly leaves you speechless.”
However, as they neared the site, the temperature gradually increased, shrouding the area in a dark haze. The seabed’s usual dull gray and brown tones were replaced with tendrils of glassy rock, an outcome of rapid cooling when lava makes contact with cold water.
As the particles clouded Alvin’s view, Caitlyn Biadshire, a pilot from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, guided the submersible while monitoring the temperature closely, concerned about the safety of the submersible and its crew. Ultimately, the pilot decided a retreat was necessary.
“It was a breathtaking sight,” they reflected. “Everything I observed just days earlier has been wiped away. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been there within hours of the eruption.”
After returning to the ship, the team learned that a sensitive microphone, known as a Hydrophone, was onboard the Atlantis and had recorded a series of low-frequency rumbles and crackling sounds reminiscent of a campfire.
This represented the third known eruption at the Tika Vent since its discovery in the 1980s. For decades, marine geologist Dan Fornari and his colleagues have closely monitored the site, tracking changes in temperature, water chemistry, and other factors. By combining these analyses with models of seafloor diffusion, they predicted an eruption was imminent, forecasting it could happen either earlier this year or in the previous year.
In 1991, they reached Tika shortly after an eruption began. Although it may have still been active, they lacked visual confirmation of the lava. This time, he asserted, there was no doubt about what the Alvin crew witnessed. “This was the closest we’ve ever come to witnessing the onset of an eruption,” he stated.
The team continues its research into volcanic activity. Due to safety considerations, they are now collecting data and capturing images from the Atlantis remotely.
This data aids researchers in unraveling the mysteries of deep-sea volcanism and its significance within marine ecosystems. “It’s all connected to understanding the overall system of Earth and the ocean,” Dr. Fornari stated. “The relationship is both intricate and beautiful.”
Marine biologists identify new species of skate Leucolaja It lurks in the deep waters of the southwestern Indian Ocean.
brown long nose skates (Leucolaya longirostris), holotype of an adult male viewed from the dorsal side. Scale bar – 5 cm. Image credit: Weigman others., doi: 10.3390/biology13060405.
members of the genus Leucolaja A small to medium sized skate, usually with a short, obtuse snout.
To date, 14 valid species of this genus have been identified, primarily in the Atlantic Ocean, but also in the Indian Ocean.
“The 14 species currently described are Leucolaja It reaches a maximum size of 30-120 cm and is found in the Indian and Atlantic oceans. ” Dr Simon Weigman by the Leibniz Institute for Biodiversity Change Analysis and colleagues.
“Of these 12 species, Leucolaja Compagnoi and Leucolaja wallasei They also live outside the Atlantic Ocean, in continental waters in the southwestern Indian Ocean. ”
The newly discovered Leucolaja This species is the fourth known species of this genus from the western Indian Ocean.
named Leucolaya longirostris (common name is Brown Longnose Skate), apparently endemic to the Madagascar Ridge in Walters Shoals.
“In the 1970s and 1980s, researchers working on the Madagascar Ridge, a raised area of the ocean floor in the southwestern Indian Ocean, collected a total of eight rare skate specimens at depths of 750 to 1,050 meters.” biologists said.
“Despite the long snout, this specimen could definitely be assigned to the genus. Leucolaja This is due to the typical characteristics of claspers. ”
“It can be easily distinguished from all 14 congeners by its long, sharply pointed snout,” the researchers said.
“Furthermore, it appears to occur only on the Madagascar Ridge, away from the known distribution areas of all congeners, and its clasper morphology exhibits several unique aspects.”
brown long nose skates (Leucolaya longirostris), holotype of an adult male viewed from the ventral side. Scale bar – 5 cm. Image credit: Weigman others., doi: 10.3390/biology13060405.
Leucolaya longirostris These are medium-sized skates with a total length of 71.1 cm or more.
Males mature at about 60 cm. The largest known female is 70cm long. The smallest known specimen is a young female with a total length of 27.6 cm.
recognition of Leucolaya longirostris Provide new insights into morphological variation within the genus Leucolaja “This constitutes a very unusual and noteworthy addition to this genus Sketchi,” the researchers said.
“Nevertheless, the very limited distribution of this new species raises concerns about its ability to sustain fisheries, and it may be susceptible to capture in longline fisheries, particularly deep-sea trawl fisheries.”
“Although little information is available about fisheries operating in the region of the Madagascar Ridge, this deep-sea skate tolerates intensive fishing pressure, potentially due to its slow-life history characteristics and low productivity. You may not be able to.”
“Walter's Shoal has had good catches in the past and this pressure may return in the future,” they added.
“As a fishery targeting orange roughy (Hoplostessus atlanticus) and Kinmedai (Belix Decactylus) have typically used mesophoric trawls on the ocean floor, but new species may have benthic refugia. ”
“However, further research is needed to investigate its distribution, life history, population size and trends, and threats.”
“This is essential to improving data collection and research and making more effective conservation and management policy decisions.”
a paper Report findings published in journals biology.
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Simon Weigman others. 2024. Description of a noteworthy new type of skate shoe Leucolaja Malm of the southwestern Indian Ocean, 1877 (Radidae, Radidae): Introducing 3D modeling as an innovative tool for visualization of clasper characters. biology 13 (6): 405;doi: 10.3390/Biology 13060405
Marine biologists have discovered adult tubeworms and other extrusive animals beneath the ocean floor of the East Pacific Ridge, a volcanically active and rapidly spreading ridge with numerous hydrothermal vents.
East Pacific Rise, subseafloor vents on the seafloor surface and crust on the outskirts of Fava Flow. Image credit: Bright others., doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-52631-9.
The East Pacific Rise is a volcanically active ridge located where two plates meet at the floor of the Pacific Ocean.
It contains many hydrothermal vents, which are openings in the ocean floor that form where ocean water and magma meet beneath the Earth's crust.
“It was once thought that the ocean-floor crust beneath hydrothermal vents was inhabited only by microorganisms and viruses,” says researcher Monika Breit of the University of Vienna and colleagues.
“But there are animals on the ocean floor that look like giant tube worms. Liftia Pachyputira Thrive. “
“The larvae are thought to disperse into the water column, even though they have never been observed there.”
“We hypothesized that these larvae migrate beneath the ocean floor via vent fluids.”
Dr. Bright and his co-authors sailing on the Schmidt Oceanographic Research Vessel Falcor (also)used the remotely operated vehicle SuB-astian to undertake a series of dives into a hydrothermal vent site located at a depth of 2,515 meters in the East Pacific Ridge.
The vehicle's arm was used to expose part of the ocean's crust, which revealed a warm, warm habitat that is home to a variety of species previously found only on the ocean floor, including giant tube worms and migratory animals such as earthworms and snails. A fluid-filled cavity was revealed.
Larvae from seafloor communities can colonize these subseafloor habitats, demonstrating the complex connectivity between seafloor and subseafloor ecosystems.
An animal habitat has been discovered beneath the ocean floor of the Earth's crust, but its extent is currently unknown, raising the urgency of its protection against potential future environmental changes.
“The presence of adult tubeworms suggests that the larvae dispersed through the recharge zone of the hydrothermal circulation system,” the authors said.
“Given that many of these animals are hosts to dense bacterial communities that oxidize reduced chemicals and fix carbon, subseafloor expansion of animal habitats may be localized. and regional geochemical flux measurements.”
“These findings highlight the need to protect vents, as the extent of these habitats has not yet been fully determined.”
team's work appear in the diary nature communications.
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M. Bright others. 2024. Animals that live in the crust beneath the shallow ocean floor of deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Nat Commune 15, 8466; doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-52631-9
This humpback whale (with its wide-open jaws and sharp teeth)Melanocetus johnsonii) looks even more terrifying when its internal complexity is revealed. Also known as Johnson’s Deep Sea Monster, this deep sea monster is Solvin Zankl.
This image shows the fish after a lengthy cleaning and staining process to reveal its internal structure. Scientists used digestive enzymes to remove the soft tissues, exposing the bones and collagen, which they then stained. Blue indicates cartilage, and red indicates bone. Not all tissues become transparent during the chemical processing; for example, the black mass (left) is the fish’s stomach.
The technique offers a glimpse inside the anglerfish, from its gills to its two fearsomely impressive pairs of jaws. It’s just one of the incredible adaptations that have evolved in this deep-sea species, Zankl says. But don’t worry: Females, like the one shown here, can grow to about 153 millimeters in length, while males are just 28 millimeters.
This fish lives at depths of about 900 metres in tropical oceans. The specimen was collected from the Benguela upwelling system, a very fertile deep water area of the South Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Africa and Namibia, during a research expedition to document the wildlife in the region.
Zankl says working with scientists allows him to visit places that are normally inaccessible, because photographing the deep sea is a huge challenge. Documenting these organisms can shed light on their ecology and broader ecological processes in fragile ecosystems, he says.
Sea cucumbers are related to sea urchins and starfish. They typically rest on the ocean floor and are not very active, similar to plants. However, in the deep sea, sea cucumbers exhibit different behaviors.
Resembling the twirling skirts of flamenco dancers, the Spanish Dancers are transparent ruby-red creatures that gracefully swim and float with the ocean currents in the deep sea, wearing their webbed cloaks. Also known as the “Remarkable Dreamer” (Enypniastes excimia).
They also have a more grotesque alias: the headless chicken monster. It looks like a plucked chicken carcass tossed into the sea and can grow up to 25cm (9 inches) long. The part that resembles a neck after decapitation is actually its mouth, surrounded by feeding tentacles. When it settles on the ocean floor, it uses its tentacles to scoop sediment into its mouth.
Like other sea cucumbers, they feed on marine snow, which is a shower of organic debris sinking from the ocean surface. It includes dead plankton and their feces bound together by a sticky microbial glue.
This swimming sea cucumber was discovered in the 1870s by scientists on a Royal Navy battleship during the famous ocean expedition known as the Challenger. They inhabit all oceans, including near Antarctica, at depths ranging from 500 meters (1,600 feet) to at least 6,000 meters (about 19,600 feet).
Due to their high water content, they are fragile, and collecting specimens often damages them. To observe them live, scientists rely on remote-controlled deep-diving robots with video cameras to get a clear picture of their appearance this century.
Thanks to their hydrated bodies, they have neutral buoyancy, enabling them to swim without much effort. This is a vital survival strategy in the deep sea where food is scarce.
Through their see-through bodies, you can see their coiled digestive tract filled with pale sediment. Before propelling into the water column, they expel their cleaned sediment waste, similar to dropping ballast sandbags from a hot air balloon.
By mixing and aerating the ocean floor, they contribute to the ecosystem like earthworms do on land. They can also illuminate their bodies, which helps them navigate in the dark.
When threatened, their skin glows and flakes off, acting as a warning signal to predators. Lab studies showed that they can quickly regenerate their skin and retain their glowing ability.
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Marine biologists at the University of California, San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Ensenada Higher Education and Research Center have described a rare new species of deep-sea insect with gills discovered in a methane well off San Diego’s Pacific coast. Named pectine rice triclotti, the new species has an elongated body flanked by rows of feathery, gill-tipped appendages called lateral legs.
pectine rice triclotti, a living male specimen. Image credit: Ekin Tilic.
pectine rice triclotti belong to Nereididae, a segmented, mostly marine family of insects with over 700 recognized species.
Commonly known as lugworms, these organisms are generally found in coastal areas and are usually limited to shallow marine habitats, but can also be found in brackish waters, freshwater bodies, and even moist terrestrial environments.
However, around 10% of the total diversity of lugworms is known to inhabit deep-sea environments.
These nematodes have a long body with rows of bristly parapods on the sides and a set of scissor-like jaws for feeding.
Many lugworm species undergo two distinct life stages: atokes and epitokes.
Pectine rice triclotti was first discovered during a dive in 2009 at a depth of approximately 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) using the submersible Alvin.
“We observed two lugworms swimming close to each other, about the length of a submarine, near the ocean floor,” said Bruce Stricklot, a researcher at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Several specimens of pectine rice triclotti were collected and analyzed for anatomical features and DNA to determine their evolutionary relationships within the Nereididae family.
According to Dr. Greg Rouse, a marine biologist at the University of California, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Pectine rice triclotti has unique characteristics compared to other lugworms.
Pectine rice triclotti, while possessing menacing-looking jaws, has unknown feeding habits, with the possibility of feeding on bacteria and other large food particles similar to other insects.
The body color of pectine rice triclotti in its natural habitat is likely rosy due to the darkness at 1,000 meters below the surface.
Further research is needed to explore the reproductive mechanisms and feeding behavior of this newly discovered deep-sea species.
The finding is detailed in the article: paper published in the online journal PLoS ONE.
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TF Villalobos Guerrero et al. 2024. A remarkable new species of deep-sea Nereidae (Annelidae: Nereidiidae) with gills. PLoS ONE 19(3): e0297961; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0297961
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.”
A female octopus lays her eggs near a small rock outcrop, informally known as El Dorado Hill.
ROV Subastian/Schmidt Ocean Institute
Four new species of deep-sea octopus have been discovered in an underwater mountain range about two miles downstream in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Costa Rica, according to the Schmidt Institute of Oceanography.
During expeditions in June and December 2023, researchers on the US nonprofit research vessel Falkor also used a remote-controlled vehicle to explore two low-temperature hydrothermal springs, two octopuses, and more. found a nursery, and one skate nursery. Subastian.
Previous research has found areas where octopuses live near low-temperature springs, but these environments have been difficult to find.
Typical 350°C hot hydrothermal vents are easy to spot thanks to smoke rising from the ocean floor. However, the cold spring's water temperature is only about 10 degrees Celsius higher than the average 2 degrees Celsius at the ocean floor, and is only visible through slight diffraction of light.
“It looks like it’s sparkling,” says expedition co-leader. Beth Orcutt at the Bigelow Marine Science Institute, another nonprofit in Maine.
Finding this subtle sign in the dark required multiple dives in different locations. “It's like walking through a forest you've never been in before with a flashlight looking for hot springs,” Orcutt said. “We were kind of making a bet.”
The four new species have not yet been officially described, but one has been named the dorado octopus, after the rock where it was discovered, known as El Dorado Hill.some kind of Muusocopsfemales gather to incubate eggs in warm water.
Orcutt said researchers believe the other species are new based on their appearance. They appear to be solitary, which is common among deep-sea octopuses. “They don't like having their neighbors close,” she says.
These insights into Costa Rica's unique biodiversity could inform regional conservation policy. “It is difficult [protect deep-sea wildlife] That’s when you don’t know it’s underground,” Orcutt says.
Undersea octopus farm
ROV Subastian/Schmidt Ocean Institute
These missions also help inspire and develop local scientific talent through training for early career researchers on how to lead deep-sea explorations, she says. The 310 specimens collected, which also include starfish, spider stars and sea cucumbers, will be kept at the Zoological Museum at the University of Costa Rica, rather than in the United States, where they are not easily accessible to local researchers.
More exploration is needed because the deep sea faces many threats, including mining, Orcutt said. “We're just scratching the surface.”
Its mauve, suction cup-covered arms gently unfold to grab an egg shaped like an elongated ping-pong ball. A jet of water from a siphon next to the octopus's head ensures that the unhatched cubs get enough oxygen.
From a distance, she is surrounded by hundreds of females, living up to her nickname. The pearl octopus (Muusoctopus robotus) resembles a spherical gem that sits on the ocean floor. This is the largest known assemblage of eight-armed molluscs on Earth, numbering approximately 20,000 individuals, and has been witnessed by people all over the world in astonishingly high resolution. “Oceans” episode BBC series Planet Earth III.
This view would have been amazing enough even if it were from shallow water, including tropical coral reefs and kelp forests. But these octopus mothers tend to their eggs in freezing cold and darkness, about 2 miles below the surface. of the deep sea.
“The fact that there is life there is amazing in itself,” says the producer and director. Will Ridgeon They spent two years photographing the octopus, collaborating with scientists and technicians at California's Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI).
The aptly named pearl octopus rears its eggs in an octopus garden surrounded by flower-like anemones. – Credit: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
The octopus farm, as the site is now known, is located on a hill in the eastern Pacific Ocean, 160 km (100 miles) southwest of Monterey Bay, near a giant underwater mountain called Davidson Seamount. This place was discovered during his expedition in 2018. live streamed over the internet.
It was the first time I had ever seen so many creatures in one place, let alone in the deep sea. (Octopuses are notoriously solitary animals and tend to be cannibalistic when kept together in captivity.) ).
Ridgeon watched the livestream of the discovery and immediately knew it was a story to be filmed in a new BBC series.he teamed up with Dr. Jim Barrya senior scientist at MBARI, began regularly visiting octopus farms in 2019 to learn more about why so many octopuses congregate in certain areas.
“The question is, why is it there?” Barry says. Barry and his colleagues gathered specialized tools and began a series of detailed studies. They created a photomosaic of his 2.5-hectare (about 27,000 square feet2) portion of the property and stitched together high-resolution images that allowed them to count the octopus population.
They also installed time-lapse cameras on the ocean floor, taking close-up photos every 20 minutes at a time for months to show what the octopuses were doing, and Barry's team gradually expanded the octopus park's largest began to unravel some of the mysteries.
Octopus farm location. – Image credit: MBARI
work remotely
Ridgeon took part in an expedition to an octopus farm early on. Initially, filming took place during lockdown, so he participated via live video link from his bedroom in Bristol, England (with occasional interruptions from his five-year-old daughter).
Once COVID-19 restrictions allowed, Ridgeon joined Barry and his team aboard MBARI's vessel, the research vessel Western Flyer. However, no one visited the octopus farm directly. All surveys and filming were done using a car-sized remotely operated vehicle (ROV) equipped with a camera and a robotic arm.
The dive began around 6 a.m., and the ROV was lowered into the ocean through a hole in the Western Flyer's hull called the moonpool. “It's very James Bond,” Ridgeon says. The descent to the octopus garden can take up to two hours, and the ROV will remain there all day.
The pilot controls the ROV via a cable connected to a control room on the ship on the ground, and everyone watches the video feed to see what's happening below.
Researchers survey the octopus farm from the Western Flyer's ROV control room. – Credit: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
“You forget you're looking at a screen,” Ridgeon says. “You think you're there,” says the MBARI engineer. He worked with the BBC to find the ideal camera setup to photograph the octopus garden. It was not possible to use footage from a camera fixed to the ROV due to too much vibration.
“I think the BBC will do a little bit about that.” [shivering]“But not as much as we had,” Barry says. ROVs “shudder” not because of the cold temperatures of the deep ocean, but because the thrusters must be activated constantly to ensure they stay close to the ocean floor (ROVs are positively buoyant, so if they fail they will ). .
To get around this, Barry and Ridgeon used a separate 4K camera mounted on a specially designed stand that could be placed on the ocean floor.
“I think that's the secret behind the images,” Ridgeon says. Unlike the ROV cameras used by scientists, which can only reach within a few meters of objects on the ocean floor, the 4K camera's focal length of about 20 centimeters (7 to 8 inches) allows it to precisely navigate between octopuses. can be captured.
But it was difficult to use. It took up to 40 minutes to get into position, and the team had to hope it wouldn't fall over and the action would happen in front of it. Ridgeon operated the camera from the ship using his PlayStation controller, which MBARI engineers adapted for the job. “At first it's like trying to film him with his hands tied behind his back,” Ridgeon said.
Another challenge with deep-sea photography is light. “Put the light as far away from the camera as possible, ideally around the sides so it’s three-quarters backlit. [the scene]That way, there are no reflections from any debris in the water,” explains Ridgeon.
The octopus garden provides insight into the life and reproduction of molluscs. – Credit: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
Those “fragments” are marine snow. These are organic particles that constantly rain down from the shallow ocean above. Marine snow is made up of dead plankton and their feces stuck together by microbial glue, and is the main food source for deep-sea animals. However, it makes filming difficult as the movie can look like it was shot in a snowstorm.
To see through the snowstorm and achieve the desired three-quarters backlighting effect, the MBARI team built a lighting system that the ROV could hold on its side, away from the camera. “That's how we got some really great shots,” Barry says.
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Accelerate development
As Barry's investigation and BBC filming progressed, the team made some surprising discoveries. First, no medium-sized octopus ever visited this location, and there were no signs of it feeding. It was only a fully grown adult octopus.
They were here to breed and for no other purpose. It may be called an octopus farm, but this place is definitely an octopus farm. The researchers also collected evidence that incubating females use on-site hot springs to speed up the development of their offspring.
For octopuses, there is a strong relationship between temperature and hatching time. The colder it is, the longer it will take and the more dangerous it will be. This is because there are scavengers that prey on unborn, unprotected octopus eggs.
Temperature studies have shown that the seawater surrounding each octopus nest can reach 10°C (50°F), much warmer than the 1.6°C (34°F) seawater just a few meters away. It was shown. By observing specific octopuses (identifiable by scratch and scar patterns) in the field, Barry and his colleagues determined that their eggs take an average of 1.8 years to hatch.
During this time, the female does not move but is constantly fighting off predators and guarding her approximately 60 eggs. “Once you plant an egg on a rock, that's it. You can't leave that spot,” Barry says. At just under two years, it's not the longest parenting period for an octopus. This record is given to another species that other MBARI scientists discovered nearby, Graneledon boreopafica, clinging to the sides of Monterey She Canyon 1.4 km (just under a mile) deep. I did.
Researchers watched one female incubate her eggs for four and a half years, longer than any other recorded animal. However, she was growing her eggs in water that was much warmer than the octopus park's ambient temperature of 1.6 degrees Celsius. Without the hot springs, the eggs in the octopus garden would take more than 10 years to hatch. When this site was discovered, biologists were surprised to find octopuses nesting there.
But geologists were fascinated by warm water seeping through the ocean floor, something they had never seen before. These springs are much cooler than the red-hot hydrothermal vents that form at the edges of tectonic plates where new molten ocean floors are created.
Although the enormous pressure will not cause the water to boil, the temperature around the vent can reach hundreds of degrees. These were first discovered in his 1970s, and plumes of hydrothermal water rise up to hundreds of meters in the water column, making them relatively easy to detect with temperature probes. In contrast, hot springs are more difficult to find because they form away from these tectonically active regions and have much cooler temperatures.
But geologists believe they could exist in the thousands and are highly stable, likely remaining in the same location for hundreds or even thousands of years. Therefore, biologists believe that more octopus farms may be established around these springs.
birth and death
In the final scene of the “Octopus Garden” episode Planet Earth III, a cluster of tiny sucker-like arms appears beneath the brooding female, then a wobbling young octopus swims away into the darkness like a mini-umbrella. More chicks follow and begin life at sea.
No one knows where they're going…yet. “That's what I want to understand next,” Barry says. The hatchlings are large for a newborn octopus, at about 6 cm (2 inches), so they have the best chance of survival. But as anyone who has seen the Octopus documentary knows, this comes at a heavy cost to mothers.
“These mothers are trying so hard to protect their bloodlines, and they're just dying out,” Barry says. Her father died a few years ago, shortly after mating. On the screen, we see the women's eyes cloudy and their bodies wrinkled. Ridgeon saw what happened next, but she decided it was not suitable for an evening television audience.
Dead octopuses are quickly attacked by scavengers such as fish, snails, sea anemones, and shrimp. For Barry, this is another important part of his discovery at the octopus farm. The nesting season is asynchronous, with octopuses hatching and mothers dying throughout the year. Approximately 9 each day. The female octopus' body nourishes the rest of the ecosystem and helps supplement the energy input from marine snow by 72 percent.
Graneledon boreopafica (a species of octopus that incubates eggs in cold water) has a 4.5 year rearing period, which holds the record for the longest rearing period of any animal. – Credit: Alamy
“This is clearly a huge food subsidy for the local ecosystem,” Barry says. “That wouldn't happen in shallow water,” he added. Because there is a lot of food around. But in the more barren depths, nothing goes to waste.
The BBC has finished filming at the octopus farm, but Barry's research continues. One of the things he wants to know is the age of the sea anemone. These are giant orange flower-like animals that make the octopus garden look like a real garden.
Barry studies sea anemones, which live for decades in shallow coastal waters, and finds that deep-sea species can survive for centuries, in contrast to octopuses, which are relatively short-lived. That's what I'm thinking.
“They're like sentinels that just sit there while the octopus cycles,” he says. There are many more questions Barry would like to answer. “Are octopuses confined to this breeding form in warm areas, or are they able to breed elsewhere with cooler ambient temperatures? Is there fidelity to specific nest sites? ?Will they return to their place of birth?'' he asks.
No one knows how far the octopuses travel before they reach the garden or how they found them, but Barry said he was surprised by the large number of dead and dying octopuses floating around. I suspect I smelled it. “We'll definitely be back,” he says.
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