Three New Fish Species Discovered Over 4 Miles Below Ocean's Surface

The realm three new species of fish recently discovered live in is one of the most inhospitable homes imaginable. These three fish are all snailfish and were discovered about 4.6 miles below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. The researchers who discovered these three new species were able to capture a specimen and get the fish on video feeding.

For now, the three new species have placeholder names and are the pink, the blue, and the purple Atacama Snailfish. The Atacama name comes from the Atacama Trench, a slash in the floor of the ocean that is nearly 6,000km long and more than 8,000m deep in some areas. This trench runs along the west coast of South America.

Researchers say that the fish that live at such tremendous depths are different from what you might expect of deep sea creatures. The creatures are small, translucent, and have no scales. The depths the snailfish live at puts them beyond the reach of other fish and free from other competitors for food and predators. There is an abundance of prey at these depths for the fish to live on.

The fish are said to have a gelatinous structure that is perfectly adapted to the extreme pressure at the bottom of the trench. The hardest bones in their bodies are the inner ear bones used for balance and their teeth. The fish must have extreme pressure and cold to live and reportedly melt rapidly when brought to the surface.

The team was able to capture one specimen and bring it to the surface. This specimen followed prey into one of the traps researchers set. It was carefully preserved and is being described by the researchers now. The ocean where the fish were found is so deep it can take nearly four hours for a trap to sink to the bottom.

SOURCE: NCL.AC.UK