New sea species found

Researchers exploring seamounts (underwater mountains) off the coast of Chile discovered more than 100 species that could be completely new to science. The team set off on a research ship earlier this year, and from there they sent a robotic underwater vehicle more than 1,500 metres down into the Pacific Ocean.

One of the strangest things they uncovered was a sea toad (sea toads are actually fish), and it is likely that this one belongs to a new species. The creature has textured skin that looks like it is knitted out of wool, and it has the ability to “walk” on the sea bed using its fins. Dr Javier Sellanes, the leader of the expedition, told National Geographic magazine that this unusual ability is a hunting method, and it helps the fish save energy.

Other exciting finds included red crustaceans (a group of animals that includes crabs and lobsters) with long legs covered in spikes; a life-form that looked like stars moving in the night sky; and octopuses living on the seabed. Each seamount that the researchers studied had its own unique ecosystem (community of living things). It is thought there are more than 100,000 seamounts taller than 1,000 metres around the world, but only a fraction of these have been explored.

A sea toad.