More than 100 new species were suddenly discovered in an underwater mountain range in the Pacific Ocean

More than 100 new species have been discovered In a mountain range Underwater Off the coast of Chile during a scientific expedition. Among the specimens found were corals, glass sponges, sea urchins, amphipods, and lobsters, as well as exotic fish and squid that had never been seen before and had already been documented for science.

These discoveries were made by an international group of scientists who recently explored seamounts located along the Nazca and Salas y Gomez mountains, An underwater mountain range 2,900 kilometers long that stretches from the coast of Chile to Rapa Nuialso known as Easter Island.

The scientists, led by Javier Silanes from Universidad Católica del Norte, used an underwater robot to navigate to depths of up to 4,500 meters below sea level and collect data from 10 of the 200 seamounts.

These mountains are underwater rises with steep slopes that are usually the remains of extinct volcanoes. These are often great features They become hotspots of biodiversityBecause they provide wildlife with a solid surface to live on and find food and nutrients there.

Surprisingly, this was discovered Each seamount the researchers studied was home to a completely different ecosystem. There are ribbons of thriving deep-water coral reefs and sponge gardens, which, although just discovered, are already arguably endangered by human activity.

“We have far exceeded our hopes on this expedition. You always hope to find new species in these remote and unexplored areas, but The amount we found, especially for some groups like sponges, was astonishing.“, marine biologist Celanese said in a statement sent to the portal IFLScience.

“These thriving, healthy ecosystems indicate that the Nazca-Desventuradas and Juan Fernandez Marine Parks are effectively protecting sensitive marine habitats,” Silanis explained.

To ensure that these species are new and not previously identified, the team closely analyzes the physiology and genetics of the specimens to ascertain whether they are truly new to science.

“Complete identification of species may take many years“Dr. Silanis and his team have an incredible number of specimens from this incredibly beautiful and little-known biodiversity hotspot,” explained Jyotika Virmani, Executive Director of the Schmidt Ocean Institute.

Exactly for these days A second expedition was planned Through the Salas y Gómez mountain range on board the research ship Falkor.

“The Schmidt Ocean Institute is a partner of the Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census Program, which has set a goal of finding 100,000 new marine species in the next 10 years,” Virmani said.

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Contact Department of the Environment: [email protected]