Scientists searching one of the world’s most cavernous ocean trenches have discovered a never-before-seen, predatory creature, Live Science reported.
Researchers diving in the Atacama Trench, located in the eastern Pacific Ocean, came across a heretofore unseen crustacean which they believe feeds on other sea creatures. The extremely large predatory amphipod has been dubbed Dulcibella camanchaca and measures just 1.57 inches. It was discovered at a staggering depth of 25,900 feet and resembles a pale, nearly translucent shrimp, featuring special limbs which allow them to capture and kill smaller prey living at equal depths.
The discovery was made by scientists working with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Massachusetts and Chile's Instituto Milenio de Oceanografía (IMO).
"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," Johanna Weston, a hadal ecologist at WHOI, explained in a statement. The “hadal zone” is the deepest part of the ocean, or anything below 19,680 feet. The Atacama Trench spans 3,666 miles between the coasts of Chile and Peru.
Johanna Weston; ©WoodsHole Oceanographic Institution
Four specimens were collected and frozen. A DNA analysis revealed that in addition to being a new species, Dulcibella camanchaca is a completely new genus. A genus is the taxonomic group above species.
"More discoveries are expected as we continue to study the Atacama Trench," IMO researcher and co-lead author Carolina González said. She added that those discoveries could illuminate a larger understanding of how complicated ecosystems react to environmental threats such as climate change and pollution.
