Researchers aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute research vessel R/V Falkor deployed the remotely operated vehicle ROV SuBastian to survey volcanic calderas, the South Sandwich Trench and nearby seafloor. The mission collected almost 2,000 specimens spanning 14 animal groups.
Among the finds was a carnivorous sponge of the genus Chondrocladia, soon dubbed the "Death-ball sponge." Scientists observed its spherical body, covered with hooks that trapped small animals, a feeding strategy unlike the passive filtration used by most sponges.
The team located the sponge at a depth of 11,814 feet (3,601 meters) east of Montagu Island and later recorded it at similar depths elsewhere in the region. Taxonomists at an Ocean Census workshop imaged, compared and DNA-barcoded specimens, formally confirming 30 species as new to science.
“The Southern Ocean is still very under-sampled. Only about 30 percent of the samples we collected have been analyzed, so these 30 new species are just the beginning,” said Michelle Taylor, Head of Science at Ocean Census, according to a report by Discover Magazine.
Other organisms filmed during the dives included iridescent polychaete worms, new starfish and mollusks adapted to volcanic vents, armoured scale worms near hydrothermal emissions at 600 meters, a bright orange feather-duster anemone that may represent a new genus, zombie worms boring into whale bones, and unusual isopods and amphipods that could warrant creation of a new family. Scientists also recorded rare black corals, potential new sea-pen genera and the first verified sighting of a juvenile colossal squid.
“Advanced tools—from precise seabed mapping to high-definition imagery—allowed us to explore places never before seen by humans,” said Jyotika Virmani, Executive Director of the Schmidt Ocean Institute, according to Infobae.
“Accelerating species discovery is not a scientific luxury, but a public necessity. Each expedition brings knowledge that benefits scientists, policymakers and the global community,” said Mitsuyuki Unno, Executive Director of the Nippon Foundation, according to Ocean Census.
Researchers said the predatory sponge’s adaptations to high pressure, low light and extreme temperature might offer insight into evolutionary pathways and could yield compounds of interest for biotechnology and pharmaceutical studies. With less than one-third of the material examined, Taylor said dozens more species might await formal description.
The preparation of this article relied on a news-analysis system.