Climate Change Researchers Discover Carnivorous Sea Squirt 4,000 Meters Underwater

Researchers exploring the ocean floor of the Tasman Fracture Zone in Australia to learn more about how climate change is affecting coral have discovered several new species, including a fascinating carnivorous sea squirt previously unknown to humans. The creatures were found over 13,000 feet below the surface of the water.

From EcoWorldly:

One of the CalTech researchers, Jess Adkins, described what it was like to see video images from the remote device about 2.5 miles below them on the ocean floor:

“We were flying–literally flying–over these deep-sea structures that look like English gardens, but are actually filled with all of these carnivorous, Seuss-like creatures that no one else has ever seen.”

Although a sea squirt may appear to be a worm, or other invertebrate, it actually has a spinal chord. So its basic physical structure is that of chordate animals, like birds and humans. However, unlike the other chordates the sea squirt does not have a backbone. Sea squirts have been likened to the Venus Fly Trap plant because they catch their prey in a similar manner and are carnivorous.

According to National Geographic, the 20-inch sea squirt is one of the deepest-dwelling animals ever found in Australia. Along with a few other species, including a barnacle and an anenome, it was discovered along the Tasman Fracture Zone, a crack in the Earth’s crust measuring 1.2 miles long to more than 2.5 miles deep, by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV).

The four-week voyage found evidence that global warming may be linked to dying coral reefs in the ocean depths.

Imagine all of the other species that have never been seen by human eyes, all over the world. It really makes you realize how outnumbered we are – how much variety and diversity there is in the natural world. The earth is amazing, isn’t it?

Link [Eco Worldly]
Photo credit: Advanced Imaging and Visualization Laboratory, WHOI/Jess Adkins, Caltech

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