Bizarre ocean creatures discovered

WHETHER blasting off into outer space or diving into the depths of the sea, scientists continue to uncover even more about the world we live in. Now, several weird, wonderful and slightly creepy creatures have been found living in the ocean following a 35-day deep-sea expedition by researchers off the coast of Australia.

Scientists from the Museums Victoria Research Institute recently travelled across the seafloor at Cocos (Keeling) Islands Marine Park and spotted what they believe to be “an amazing number of potentially new species”. Having covered more than 11 000km during their trip, the team managed to find deepsea batfish that look very similar to Chinese dumplings, Sloane’s viperfish with teeth so large they are visible even when their mouths are closed and even a creepy looking highfin lizardfish said to have both male and female reproductive tissue.

Sailing through the waters of the Indian Ocean aboard the Investigator research ship, they also discovered undersea mountains. These are believed to have been giant volcanoes from 50 million and 140 million years ago that sank to the ocean floor.

“We’re proud that our maps, data and images will be used by Parks Australia to manage the marine park into the future,” says Dr Tim O’Hara, who led the expedition.