deep-sea expedition may have discovered (over 100) new species

[medea]

Many of the known denizens of the deep look as bizarre as their names: Snotthead. Fangtooth. Gulper eel. So what about the creepy creatures that lurk in unchartered depths? A team of international scientists was determined to find out.

This month, they are examining their catch from a deep-sea expedition in the Southern Hemisphere, more than 1,500 species photographed or collected from unexplored waters along the sea floor between New Zealand and Australia.

The haul includes a sea spider with organs in its legs, a shark with sandpaper-like skin and a squid with a big eye to find prey and a little one to avoid becoming it.

"If you lived in pitch black, hunted by feeling vibrations or looking for the tiniest glimpses of light, withstood massive pressures and had to wait for months at a time to feed, you'd end up looking like Gollum as well," said Mark Norman, a biologist who rode on the research vessel Tangaroa, which completed a month-long voyage in June.

Norman's reference is to a gruesome character in J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings," but some specimens photographed, netted or dredged by the Tangaroa crew down to depths of 1.2 miles (two kilometers) were too weird for science fiction or fantasy.

Full story: http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/science/07/07/creepy.critters/index.html

 

[wdlove]

Very interesting story link. The sea is our last frontier on earth. We haven't even scratched the surface yet. These animals are completely foreign to us, or even to other animals!

 

[MrMacMan]

Originally posted by wdlove
Very interesting story link. The sea is our last frontier on earth. We haven't even scratched the surface yet. These animals are completely foreign to us, or even to other animals!

Well we have gotten decently far, I mean all of the near surface sea animals we know and recongize, just not the ones miles into the depths of the ocean.

 

[Mr. Anderson]

Saw this a while back. What's really amazing is that every time someone goes down deep in the ocean, they find something new

I don't think we'll ever truly find every species down there......

D

 

[Abstract]

They're going to make a great delicacy in Japan. Everything rare or endangered is.

 

[MrMacMan]

Originally posted by Mr. Anderson
Saw this a while back. What's really amazing is that every time someone goes down deep in the ocean, they find something new

I don't think we'll ever truly find every species down there......

D

Probably not.

Its been almost never visited by humans and reletivly untouched or damaged by pollution because of the depths.

Can anyone imagine how dark it would be down there, and all of that coldness and pressure, must be a tough place to live.

 

[avus]

Originally posted by Abstract
They're going to make a great delicacy in Japan. Everything rare or endangered is.

I am sick and tired of any Westerner, whose culture and economic activity have done far greater environmental damage to the Earth, cynically claiming higher morality over other cultures.

ps I wish I could have read your "enlightening" post before Arn editted

 

[Mr. Anderson]

Ok, you're allowed to disagree here, but lets remember no personal attacks, ok?

D

 

[medea]

I think one of the more interesting finds was this "Gulper." Looks like something out straight from H.R. Giger.

 

[bennetsaysargh]

that looks like some cool album cover. lol
that is really cool.
you're right, sea is the last frontier on earth, band we will never come close to getting to all of it. a shame though. i would hate to see any of those animals wind up in zoos anytime soon.

 

[Mr. Anderson]

Originally posted by medea
I think one of the more interesting finds was this "Gulper." Looks like something out straight from H.R. Giger.

Aquatic alien, absolutely!

I'd love to see that thing swimming - I wonder if it has any lights.....

D

 

[medea]

Originally posted by Mr. Anderson
Aquatic alien, absolutely!

I'd love to see that thing swimming - I wonder if it has any lights.....

D

It's tail is a light (the tip) and the fish actually places it's tail near it's mouth so potential food that will follow the light will be lead right in. pretty crazy really, I mean how intelligent are fish?

 

[MrMacMan]

whoops I was wrong, thanks medea.

 

[4409723]

Originally posted by bennetsaysargh
i would hate to see any of those animals wind up in zoos anytime soon.

Wouldn't it be VERY difficult to keep these things in captivity? They have adapted over millions of years to immense pressure. I bet they would die if put in a 10 foot deep tank in sea world, I suppose you could put them in a very high pressure tank, but I can't wait for the first tourist to kick it an watch as the fish gets launched 1/2 way across the country, then again, I could be completely off base with this post.

 

[MrMacMan]

Originally posted by Wes
Wouldn't it be VERY difficult to keep these things in captivity? They have adapted over millions of years to immense pressure. I bet they would die if put in a 10 foot deep tank in sea world, I suppose you could put them in a very high pressure tank, but I can't wait for the first tourist to kick it an watch as the fish gets launched 1/2 way across the country, then again, I could be completely off base with this post.

No, your not, but they die once they really leave their pressure area.

After they get half way up to shore they die because of the lack of pressure, and sun light, you would need to have a pressurized container to their envirement, probably very costly I would imagine, and what would you feed it?

 

[4409723]

Originally posted by MrMacman
probably very costly I would imagine, and what would you feed it?

I vote for processed sludge, but seriously, smaller creatures are usually more raziliant than larger ones, so I'm sure the little fish that the animals could be kept alive if the larger one could.