Watch the video: Mysterious deep sea – researchers find spectacular new species.
An international team of scientists has discovered more than 100 new species of marine life in deep waters off the coast of Chile.
The previously unknown species of sea creatures include deep-sea corals, sponges, starfish and crabs.
The Schmidt Ocean Institute concentrated its work on the 2,900 kilometer long underwater mountains of the Nazca and Salas y Gómez ridges off Chile.
Some of the newly discovered species were spotted at a depth of up to 4,500 meters.
The discoveries show that a large part of the ocean, and especially the biodiversity of the deep sea, is still relatively unexplored. Project manager Javier Sellanes revealed:
“You always expect to find new species in these remote and little-explored areas, but the amount we have found, particularly in some groups such as sponges, is staggering.”