Discovery of a new ghostly creature: it hunts at a depth of 8,000 metres
The hadal zone, as scientists call it, is located in the ocean trenches, more than 6,000 meters below the surface. This region is all darkness and intense pressure, yet... some rare species actually make it their home.
Researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the Instituto Milenio de Oceanografía (IMO, Chile), have discovered a new creature belonging to the “hadale” community. In the journal Systematics and Biodiversity, they describe it as a ghostly, fast-moving crustacean nearly 4 centimetres long. It can hunt smaller species thanks to specialized appendages. This creature, dubbed Dulcibella camanchaca, has been observed in the Atacama Trench (Peru-Chile), stretching along the eastern side of the South Pacific Ocean, at depths exceeding 8,000 meters, reports Futura-sciences.
The scientists carried out various morphological and genetic analyses, the results of which demonstrate that Dulcibella camanchaca is indeed a new species, and that it also belongs to a new genus. With their work, the researchers hope to contribute to the wider understanding of deep-sea ecosystems, and thus be able to protect them against emerging threats (climate change and pollution).
(MH with AsD - Source: Futura-sciences - Illustration: Unsplash)