Researchers Capture Footage Of New Species During Deep Sea Dive

Our ocean is full of all sorts of interesting creatures. Sure, there are some we’d prefer to stay far, far away from us, but discovering them is still oh-so cool! And while quite a few discoveries have been made lately, this latest by the Schmidt Ocean Institute has folks especially in awe. This odd underwater animal, a new species, was found in the Pacific Ocean at the junction of three tectonic plates.

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Although this creature is still new to us, there are some things we do know about it. For example, it is a polychaete. This is a class of marine worms that is characterized by their bristle-like body parts. It’s these very parts that have people calling this sea worm a “forbidden toilet scrubber” and “two eyelashes put together.” See one of them for yourself in the video below!

“To describe this polychaete, one simply must use jazz hands — it is the only way to capture this deep-sea worm’s dazzle!” the institute writes in a social media post, adding that, “polychaetes play a vital role throughout our global Ocean…”

For example, polychaetes help create more carbon dioxide. How? By eating organic debris found on the ocean floor. This carbon dioxide is then taken up by plankton which, through photosynthesis, convert carbon dioxide into food, releasing oxygen into the water and atmosphere. 

It doesn’t come as much of a surprise that a fascinating creature like this was found at its location. Turns out, the junction of tectonic plates is a spot where many underwater animals love to gather. In other words, there’s no telling what will be discovered next!

“The confluence of tectonic forces and terrestrial influences makes this margin a natural laboratory for investigating chemosynthetic and deep-sea environments that host animals like this [queue jazz hands] shimmering deep-sea worm,” the institute explains.

You can find the source of this story’s featured image here!