New species and underwater mountain discovered off Chilean coast

During an expedition near the coast of Chile, scientists discovered an underwater mountain and 20 potentially new species. This all happened as part of an expedition led by the Schmidt Ocean Institute.

Among the discoveries was Bathyphysa conifera, also known as the "flying spaghetti monster". This creature is a siphonophore, a relative of the "long stringy thing," the longest creature ever seen. Additionally, they observed, among others, the octopus Casper, a creature known since 2016 but not yet described or formally named due to a lack of study.

During the expedition, scientists also observed the first-ever squid from the genus Promachoteuthis, which until now was known to humanity only from dead specimens dating back to the 19th century. During the recent expedition, scientists saw the animal alive in its natural habitat for the first time.

During the 28-day expedition, 10 underwater mountains in the international waters of the Nazca Ridge were studied. In addition to representatives from the Schmidt Ocean Institute, people from Ocean Census and the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping of the University of New Hampshire participated in the expedition.

Professor Alex David Rogers from Ocean Census told iflscience.com that the underwater mountains of the southeastern Pacific are areas of high biodiversity. Thanks to the expedition, scientists hope to advance the understanding of the distribution of various forms of life.

During the research, a new underwater mountain with a height of 3,100 metres was discovered. Within it, there exists a deep-sea ecosystem. One of the discoveries within the mountain was a coral garden covering an area equal to three tennis courts. On the ten studied mountains, 20 potentially new species were identified.

Tomer Ketter, co-science lead and marine technician at the Schmidt Ocean Institute, emphasized that the studied ecosystems are highly biodiverse and that there are many gaps in the understanding of interspecies relationships. He also expressed hope that the collected data will help protect these environments for future generations.