AN ALIEN-LIKE deep sea predator has been discovered at the bottom of a 26,460ft trench – where few creatures are able to survive, let alone thrive.
It is a part of the ocean called the hadal zone, which is shrouded in complete darkness and subject to crushing pressures.
Hadal zones are the deepest part of Earth’s oceans, and are home to few creatures.
They are also some of the least explored parts of Earth’s murky depths.
In a 2023 expedition, scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Instituto Milenio de Oceanografía (IMO) in Chile identified the first ‘large’ predatory shrimp-like creature in the Atacama Trench.
The crustacean is a giant in the amphipod world – though it is no more than 1.57inches (4cm) long.
It has specialised appendages to hunt smaller prey lurking at the same inky depths.
The creature, whose formal name is Dulcibella camanchaca, has been given the nickname ‘darkness’ by researchers.
“Dulcibella camanchaca is a fast-swimming predator that we named after ‘darkness’ in the languages of the peoples from the Andes region to signify the deep, dark ocean from where it predates,” Dr Johanna Weston, a hadal ecologist from WHOI, said.
During the Integrated Deep-Ocean Observing System (IDOOS), experts were able to retrieve four specimens of the new species.
Each specimen was collected with a deep sea lander vehicle carrying scientific equipment, including baited traps.
Dr Weston, a co-lead author of the recently published study, added: “Most excitingly, the DNA and morphology data pointed to this species being a new genus too, emphasising the Atacama Trench as an endemic hotspot.”
The Atacama Trench, off the coast of Chile, is one of the deepest undersea canyon in the world and stretches 3,666miles (5,900km) in length.
Dr Carolina González, a co-lead author from IMO who was responsible for sample collection and DNA analysis, said: “This study’s collaborative effort and integrative approach confirmed Dulcibella camanchaca as a new species and highlights ongoing biodiversity discoveries in the Atacama Trench.
“This finding underlines the importance of continued deep-ocean exploration, particularly in Chile’s front yard.
“More discoveries are expected as we continue to study the Atacama Trench.”
The IDOOS expedition aims to further explore the region through multiple deep sea observations over five years.
The hadal zone, or hadalpelagic zone, is any deep sea trench 19,686ft or further from the surface.
Almost all oceanic life exists in the epipelagic zone, between 0ft and 656ft deep.
Yet, life has still permeated ‘The Trenches’ – as the zone is known.
There are roughly 400 known species that live in this zone, where the pressure is about 110 times the pressure on the surface.
Amphipods, tiny flea-like crustaceans, are found in the thousands in every explored hadal zone.
Snailfish, gelatinous creatures that are transparent enough to see their internal organs, are one of the most dominant family in this area.
The hardy Cusk-Eels, while they can be found in the shallow epipelagic zone, are also resilient enough to also explore the hadal zone.
