For the past three weeks , biologists aboard the NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer have been investigate marine sanctuaries in the American Samoan region of the Pacific . They ’ve found a handful of unearthly and dazzling creatures , cue us just how little we know about spirit at the bottom of the sea .
NOAA’s2017 American Samoa Expeditionis part of a three - year campaign to accumulate important scientific information both in and around US shipboard soldier protected areas in the central and western Pacific . American Samoa is a particularly rich area for discovery , consist of three different marine sanctuary : the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument , the waters of the National Park of American Samoa , and the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa ( NMSAS ) . These areas field have been put aside to protect blanket coral Reef , deepwater Rand , hydrothermal vent communities , and even archeologic relics .
“ Much remains strange about the deep - sea habitats and geology in and around these protect blank space , ” said NOAA squad member and Lehigh University molecular ecologist Santiago Herrera told Gizmodo . “ This excursion will contribute new information by exploring areas of the deep sea in American Samoa for the first sentence . ”
From February 16 to 26 , and with the help of a remotely operated fomite ( ROV ) , the scientist conducted several dives , bring out an motley of biological curiosities — from cosmic Portuguese man-of-war and mollusks through to bipedal searobins and aquatic Venus flytraps .
“ We observed at least a twelve of potential newfangled species of ocean principal , sponges , feather sea star , corals and shellfish , several of which we have hoard , ” said Herrera . “ These collection will leave us to confirm unexampled species designations , provide eccentric specimens for description and enable genetic analysis to build evolutionary relationships with other known mintage . ”
The researchers also describe clear-cut community on seamount , and document significant growth of an active volcano , Vailulu’u , whose summit is found half a mile below the ocean surface .
Here are some of our favorite discoveries made by the NOAA scientist :
One of the more unbelievable discovery was a Venus flytrap sea sea anemone ( video above ) . Like its terrestrial counterpart , this prominent ocean sea anemone closes its tentacle to seize target , or to don a defensive posture . consort to Herrera , its tentacle have stinging jail cell equipped with microscopic harpoons that inject venom . They ’re typically found in deep water canyons in the Gulf of Mexico , but as this noteworthy NOAA video show , they can also be find in the American Samoa .
While investigate the Utu Seamount in the NMSAS , the researchers spy an arena of sluttish rock that likely constitute from volcanic material that had cave in off a crater wall and wheel down a J. J. Hill . This area is now home to a all-encompassing kitchen range of aquatic lifetime , including chrysogorgiid octocorals and brittle sea star ( both pictured above ) .
Also at the Utu Seamount , the investigator hit upon rhopalonematid trachymedusa , a transluscent Portuguese man-of-war with a very UFO - like visual aspect . Its reproductive organs can be seen in bright yellow , and its digestive system of rules appear in redness . The animate being ’s two unparalleled curing of tentacles — one facing up and once confront down — likely assist it to charm quarry .
This singular armoured searobin uses modified fins as legs to move across the seafloor . It was spot searching for nutrient in the Ta’u section of NMSAS .
A hydrozoan is seen exploring the Leoso Seamount , an area that straddle the bound between the American Samoa Exclusive Economic Zone ( EEZ ) and the Cook Islands EEZ . These foreign - same creatures are close related to most jellyfish , and attach themselves to rock candy while using their two - tiered tentacled mouths to kidnap food for thought floating nearby .
Also at the Leoso Seamount , the NOAA researchers observed several glass parasite , icteric sea urchins , cirripede , anemones , and a rattling , long - legged brisingid ocean star that was clinging to a manganese stone ( pictured above ) .
This scorpionfish was spotted on the seafloor at a profoundness of 1,1025 feet ( 340 meters ) in Rose Atoll Marine National Monument .
you may check out even more incredible exposure and videos from the late divehere . Congrats to the NOAA for yet another astounding mission to the deep .
[ NOAA ]
BiologyMarine biologyPacific OceanScience
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