An underwater mountain hosts creatures unknown to science
An underwater mountain chain o Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, hosts an astonishing array of deep-sea species, at least 50 of which are new to science. About 800 to 1,200 metres below the southeastern Paci c waves, researchers on a Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition found the deepest photosynthesisdependent animal ever found, a Leptoseris, or wrinkle coral, which was already known to science. Other jaw-dropping sights included a jelly sh-like critter known as a ying spaghetti monster and a luminescent deep-sea dragon sh from the family Stomiidae. Both these creatures, along with more than 100 other species, have previously been described by scientists but had never been spotted in this region before. Another 50 specimens, which have yet to be analysed, are thought to be newfound species.
The expedition followed another Schmidt Ocean Institute research cruise in January that uncovered more than 100 suspected newfound species and a gigantic seamount o the coast of Chile. “The astonishing habitats and animal communities that we have unveiled during these two expeditions constitute a dramatic example of how little we know about this remote area,” said Javier Sellanes, a professor at Universidad Católica del Norte in Chile.
While the January expedition mostly focused on the Nazca and Juan Fernández ridges, the new voyage documented marine life on the Salas y Gómez Ridge, an underwater mountain range that extends 1,000 miles from the Nazca Ridge to Rapa Nui. Sellanes and his colleagues crisscrossed the ridge for 40 days in February and March aboard Schmidt Ocean’s Falkor
(too) research vessel. During the expedition the team examined ten seamounts, which are underwater mountains that tower at least
1,000 metres above the surrounding seaoor. Six of these had not been documented by scienti c surveys before, and each seamount harboured its own unique ecosystem.
“The observation of distinct ecosystems on individual seamounts highlights the importance of protecting the entire ridge, not just a few seamounts,” said Erin E. Easton, an assistant professor of marine science at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and chief scientist at the Schmidt Ocean Institute. “We hope the data collected from this expedition will help establish new marine protected areas.”
The researchers on the expedition explored waters around Rapa Nui with the help of local community members. “The importance of participating in an oceanographic scienti c expedition for Rapa Nui lies in the opportunity to know and better understand the marine environment surrounding the island,” said Marcela Hey Aravena, a member of the Rapa Nui Sea Council and a Schmidt Ocean
Institute observer.