Stories
Scientists Discover 57 New Species Deep Beneath the Atlantic Ocean
- •Researchers exploring the Mar del Plata Submarine Canyon near Argentina identified 57 species entirely new to science.
- •The expedition took place in August 2025 using the remotely operated vehicle SuBastian at depths exceeding 3,500 metres.
- •The discoveries include 20 new copepods, 22 echinoderms like sea cucumbers, 14 cnidarians, and a scaphopod mollusc.
- •Among the finds is a horned sea cucumber nicknamed Loki, discovered at a depth of roughly 2,577 metres.
- •Scientists have only examined a fraction of the collected material, highlighting how much deep-ocean biodiversity remains undocumented.
Key Questions Answered
Scientists identified 57 new species from the Mar del Plata Submarine Canyon at depths of over 3,500 metres. These include 20 new copepods, 22 new echinoderms like sea cucumbers and crinoids, 14 cnidarians, and a scaphopod mollusc, alongside five new genera.
The deep-sea sea cucumber nicknamed "Loki" was collected at a depth of around 2,577 metres during the August 2025 expedition. It features distinctive horn-like appendages that inspired its name after the Norse god Loki, and researchers believe the mission may have uncovered up to 10 potentially new sea cucumber species.
Researchers used a remotely operated vehicle named SuBastian to explore the submarine canyon down to depths exceeding 3,500 metres. This technology allowed the team to collect marine specimens for detailed taxonomic study in an environment where sunlight cannot reach.
