Some seem as surprised as the researchers that someone found them. Others are like taken out of a horror movie. These are just a few examples of previously unknown sea creatures that a research expedition found in the really deep seas, around five kilometers deep in the Indian Ocean.
Huge volcanoes on the seabed
The research group that started from Australia set their sights on Christmas Island and the Cocos Islands. There, around 80 percent of the ocean depths are completely unexplored. The seabed here consists of huge old volcanoes that are between 40-120 million years old.
– Being the first group to explore the area in detail is a favor and very exciting, says research leader Tim O’Hara.
Ghostly creatures
The researchers guess that around a third of the animals they bring home will turn out to be entirely new species, including a ghostly, jelly-like and blind eel. Now a huge amount of work awaits to extract the DNA of the species and find possible relationships with other species.
In the player above: Slightly terrifying images of completely new species