The hidden world in the Chilean sea: 100 new species are discovered in the gigantic underwater mountain range – 2024-05-05 06:30:27

by times news cr

2024-05-05 06:30:27

With a robot that descended 4,500 meters under the sea, an international group of scientists has managed to identify more than 100 species never before seen in the world. underwater mountain range off the coast of Chile. The expedition, led by Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI), covered 52,777 square kilometers of seabed to achieve the impressive discovery.

“We far exceeded our hopes on this expedition. You always hope to find new species in these remote and little-explored areas, but the amount we found, especially for some groups like sponges, is amazing,” said Javier Sellanes, a marine biologist at the Universidad Católica del Norte, in an official statement.

The incredible species found in the underwater mountain range

Among the species discovered around the Salas y Gómez mountain range, deep-water corals, glass sponges, sea urchins, amphipods, lobsters and others were found. Almost all of the animals had not been seen before in other marine ecosystems.

A lobster of a new species was found in a coral at 669 meters. Photo: Schmidt Ocean Institute

Likewise, the presence of bony animals was found, such as fish of the genus Chaunacops, known as marine toads or coffin fish, according to an article from the National Museum of History. It is estimated that, to survive at that depth, these specimens usually remain motionless most of the time to conserve energy.

The hidden world in the Chilean sea: 100 new species are discovered in the gigantic underwater mountain range
– 2024-05-05 06:30:27

A strange bony fish impressed researchers. Photo: Schmidt Ocean Institute

The importance of the discovery

“These thriving and healthy ecosystems indicate that the Nazca-Desventuradas and Juan Fernández marine parks effectively protect delicate marine habitats,” said Sellanes, alluding to marine protected areas in Chile that would have facilitated the preservation of biodiversity in the zone.

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