Scientists have found dozens of potentially new species of living creatures at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean
Miscellaneous / / July 27, 2022
Some organisms live at a depth of about 5,000 meters.
Researchers at the Natural History Museum in the UK used a remote-controlled vehicle to study abyssal plainsAbyssal plains are deep-sea plains of oceanic basins. They occupy about 40% of the area of the ocean floor and lie at depths of 2500-5500 meters. in the central part of the Pacific Ocean in the Clarion-Clipperton fault zone. They managed to discover dozens of new species of living beings. Previously, organisms from this area could only be studied from photographs.
StudyBenthic megafauna of the western Clarion-Clipperton Zone, Pacific Ocean, published in the journal Zookeys, showed that there is a large species diversity of large organisms in the abyss. Of the 55 discovered specimens, 48 belonged to different species.
Thirty-six animals were found at depths greater than 4,800 meters, two were found on the side of a seamount at a depth of 4,125 meters, and 17 were found at depths between 3,095 and 3,562 meters.
Among the creatures found: segmented worms, invertebrates from the same family as centipedes, relatives of jellyfish and various types of corals.
According to the lead author of the study, Dr. Guadalupe Bribesca-Contreras of the Museum of Natural History, this work is important not only because number of potentially new species discovered, but also because these megafauna specimens have previously only been studied from images of the seafloor.
Guardian notesthat the findings of the researchers are potentially important for deep-sea mining, which has recently received increasing attention. The vast species diversity of unknown organisms can be disrupted by human intervention.
Dr. Adrian Glover, head of the Natural History Museum's Deep Sea Research Group, added:
We know that millimeter-sized animals called macrofauna are extremely diverse in the abyss. However, we have never had enough information about the larger animals we call megafauna because very few specimens have been collected. This study proves for the first time that the diversity in these groups can be very high.
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