Scientists discover 20 new species in deep Pacific ocean

Scientists from the California Academy of Sciences have made an exciting breakthrough in marine biology, uncovering at least 20 new species from the depths of the Pacific Ocean.

Researchers retrieved 13 autonomous reef monitoring structures (ARMS) placed in deep coral reefs off the coast of Guam. These devices, which had been collecting data since 2018, were deployed at depths of up to 330 feet, an area known as the “twilight zone” due to its low levels of sunlight, NPR writes. 

The ARMS helped scientists collect 2,000 specimens over a two-week period in November, revealing 100 species never seen in the region before.

Dr. Luiz Rocha, the Ichthyology curator at the California Academy of Sciences, who was part of the team involved in the project, told NPR that further analysis could lead to even more discoveries.

“It’s probably going to be higher than that because one of the things we do is we confirm everything with genetics,” he explained. “So we sequence the DNA of the species before we even really make absolutely sure that they’re new. And during that process sometimes what happens is what we thought was not a new species ends up being a new species because the genetics is different.”

Rocha speculates that the newly discovered species may include a variety of marine life, from crabs and sponges to sea squirts, ascidians, and even new types of gorgonian coral.

The discoveries were made in the mesopelagic zone, an area of the ocean that poses significant challenges for scientists due to the high pressure and lack of light. This region, ranging from 180 to 330 feet below the surface, is notoriously difficult to study. Despite the challenges, Rocha and his team were anticipating new findings from this unexplored territory, but one discovery particularly stood out: a hermit crab using a clam shell for shelter instead of the usual snail shell.

“When they first showed me the picture of it, I’m like, ‘What, wait, what is that?’ I couldn’t even tell what animal it was,” Rocha said. “And then I realized, oh, it’s a hermit crab, but it’s using a clamshell. The species has a lot of adaptations that allows it to do that, and it was really cool and interesting.”

Looking ahead, Rocha and his team have embarked on a two-year expedition to place 76 more reef monitoring devices across the Pacific Ocean, in locations such as Palau and French Polynesia. The researchers hope this effort will continue to uncover the biodiversity of the deep ocean.

By Sabina Mammadli