More than two dozen new marine species have been discovered on a recent expedition off the coast of Brazil in the South Atlantic Ocean.
Scientists on board Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel Falkor (too) found new species of jellyfish, comb jellies, siphonophores, tadpole-like creatures known as larvaceans, a gossamer worm, and even a type of crustacean known as an amphipod.
The discoveries were made in the ocean’s midwater – a vast expanse of water between the sunlit layer and the bottom of the ocean. Because of its size and inaccessibility, the midwater is the planet’s least-explored ecosystem.
“The largest habitat on Earth, the midwater, is filled with incredible animals we are only just starting to understand,” says the expedition’s chief scientist, Karen Osborn of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
“I continue to be fascinated by the fantastic variety of solutions they have evolved to survive in this formidable environment, and that drives me to keep asking questions about our ocean.”
See remarkable footage from the Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition – footage of newly identified species begins at 1:23 and continues through until 2:39. Credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute
The team used imaging systems – developed at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and attached to Schmidt Ocean Institute’s remotely operated vehicle (ROV) SuBastian – to help identify the new species. The images meant the scientists could describe the animals’ shape and internal structures without having to collect them.
They also conducted genetic analyses of some of the animals. By sequencing their genomes, the researchers were able to quickly identify new species.
The glow of lights from (ROV) SuBastian illuminates the water's surface during vehicle recovery following a research dive in the South Atlantic Ocean. Credit: Alex Ingle / Schmidt Ocean Institute
Alongside the new discoveries, the team were also fortunate enough to spot a juvenile glass squid at a depth of 779m.
One of the most exciting creatures captured by the ROV cameras was a large female octopus known as Haliphron atlanticus. This pelagic (open ocean)species is rarely seen alive.
In the scientists' footage, the octopus – which has a mantle measuring 40–50cm – can be seen consuming a red jellyfish. Females of this species can grow up to 4m long (13ft) and weigh 75kg. Males are much smaller, averaging around 30cm.
Most of what is known about H. atlanticus comes from specimens caught in trawl nets, so seeing one alive was a special moment for the team.
In pictures: South Atlantic Ocean midwater expedition
The team collected footage of this siphonophore at a depth of 552m. Credit: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean InstituteA female octopus (Haliphron atlanticus) consumes a jellyfish at a depth of 800m. Credit: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean InstituteExpedition chief scientist Karen Osborn (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History) works with Heather Judkins (University of South Florida, St. Petersburg) and Silvina Botta (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande) in the wet lab of R/V Falkor (too), gathering tiny translucent animals from a large container for further study. Credit: Alex Ingle / Schmidt Ocean InstituteA Solmissus, or dinner plate jellyfish, preys upon a ctenophore – commonly known as a comb jelly. Unlike most jellyfish that passively drag their tentacles behind them, Solmissus swims with its tentacles extended in front of its body to snare ctenophores before vibrations alert the prey. Credit: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean InstituteThis is a new species from the genus Tomopteris, commonly known as gossamer worms. Tomopterids spend their entire lives in the water column, living just below the surface to over 4,000m. Little is known about their lives despite prior studies of their unusual, brilliant-yellow bioluminescence. The expedition science team tested new technology that provides scientists with new, non-invasive ways to study these remarkable animals. Credit: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean InstituteROV SuBastian is deployed off research vessel Falkor (too) for a research dive in the South Atlantic. The ROV is tethered to the ship with an umbilical cable, a specialised, multi-purpose bundle that connects an underwater robot to the ship's control room. It serves as the vehicle’s connection, conveying piloting commands, supplying electrical power, and transmitting real-time data. Credit: Alex Ingle / Schmidt Ocean InstituteA siphonophore – a colonial marine invertebrate related to jellyfish – is scanned using Deep Particle Image Velocimetry (DeepPIV) at a depth of 930m. DeepPIV is attached to ROV SuBastian; it is a laser- and optics-based imaging system that quantifies both the motion of liquids and the 3D shape of transparent animals. The imaging system was developed by the Bioinspiration Lab at MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) to create 3D models of gelatinous animals. Credit: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean InstituteThe science team documented this larval fish at a depth of 966m during a dive with ROV SuBastian. Marcelo Melo of the Oceanographic Institute of the University of São Paulo in Brazil specialises in the taxonomy and evolution of deep-sea fishes; he will try to match this baby form with the adult form the animal will eventually grow into. Credit: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean InstituteThe expedition science team observed this Hastigerinella at a depth of 630m. Hastigerinella is a foram: a single-celled ocean organism large enough to be seen with the naked eye. The long, thin spines and the pseudopods they support are used as sticky fishing lines to catch and dismantle multicellular animals, such as small crustaceans. Credit: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean InstituteThis juvenile glass squid, collected by ROV SuBastian at a depth of 779m, was photographed on R/V Falkor (too) using a prototype multiview macro camera system developed through a collaboration between Jan Hemmi (University of Western Australia), the Bioinspiration Lab at MBARI and Karen Osborn (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History). Credit: Emily Clark / MBARI via Schmidt Ocean InstituteInside the Mission Control room of R/V Falkor (too), screens display the DeepPIV imaging system at work on ROV SuBastian as scientists scan midwater animals. Credit: Alex Ingle / Schmidt Ocean Institute
All images and videos used under creative commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike CC BY-NC-SA, creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ | Top image: Pelagic octopus. Credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute
More amazing wildlife stories from around the world
