An exploration to one of the deepest places on earth has captured rare footage of what is believed to be three new species of the elusive Snailfish.
Involving a team of 40 scientists from 17 different nations, including Dr Alan Jamieson and Dr Thomas Linley from Newcastle University, UK, the expedition to the Atacama Trench has uncovered a wealth of information about life in one of the deepest places on earth.
Among the new discoveries are what the team believe to be three new species of snailfish.
Temporarily named ‘the pink, the blue and the purple Atacama Snailfish’, the footage shows the fish feeding and interacting in their secret world 7,500 metres below the surface.
These fish are part of the Liparidae family and do not conform to the preconceived stereotypical image of what a deep-sea fish should look like.
Instead of giant teeth and a menacing frame, the fishes that roam in the deepest parts of the ocean are small, translucent, bereft of scales — and highly adept at living where few other organisms can. The snailfish will be featured as part of the Challenger Conference 2018 which kicks off at Newcastle University from today and runs until Friday.
CT scan of the Atacama snailfish
The Atacama snailfish
Details:
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/latest/2018/09/threenewspecies/
