10 Unknown Animals Found off Antarctica

By on June 27, 2010 in Nature


A large survey of Antarctic life was conducted back in year 2008 by scientist all over the world. New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research played a key role in this survey. They and other researchers collected 30,000 sea creatures—many new to science—during a 35-day census in Antarctic waters in February and March. The large-scale survey was part of the International Polar Year and Census of Antarctic Marine Life programs, which study the diversity of Antarctic marine life. Of many new species discovered, prior unknown to man, we are presenting ten.

This 19 inch long creature may be tunicate or a sea-squirt, say scientists. This mysterious animal was found floating 7218 feet below water surface in the Ross Sea off southern Antarctica.

This is, what scientist say, a 9.8 inch long sea spider found in Ross Sea shelf in southern Antarctica. Cold temperatures, few predators, and high levels of oxygen in seawater could explain their gargantuan size, Don Robertson of New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research told the Associated Press.

They call it the Antarctic Octopus and it was marked as the 18th octopus species ever found. This octopus was found at the depth of 3280 feet.

A unique type of starfish, that looks like a sack, measuring 24 inch in length was discovered by New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research on February 15, 2008.

This is a totally new species. It measures 2.5 inch across the heard and up to 39 inch in length.

The call it stareater, also discovered in 2008. This fish has very soft skin that was damaged by the net (see pic below). The fish generates red light and lures its prey towards it. Once the prey is in striking distance, the sharp, needle-like and curved teeth give no second chance to it. The fish belongs to Stomiidae family and grows up to a size of 8.3 inch.

This is a new type of daggertooth, and according to scientist the southernmost daggertooth ever found. The fish has sapphire blue eyes along with a long mouth containing curved teeth to immobilize prey, clamping down and pulling back to tear through and paralyze the victim’s spine.

This species is called amphipod and was first discovered in year 2004 by Antarctic research ship Tangaroa. This crustacean looks like a shrimp and was collected from a depth of 985 feet from the same location in year 2008.

It is a new specie of sea pig; declared as a genus of sea cucumber (holothurians). Sea cucumbers are part of a group of marine animals that inhabit the seafloor, including sea squirts, sea stars (starfish), sea slugs, corals, clams, sponges, and urchins.

High-powered cameras photographed this sea star or a starfish of the genus Labediaster (lower left) surrounded by brittle stars on a seamount 492 feet (150 meters) below the surface of Antarctica’s Ross Sea.

Source: National Geographic




  • Anonmech

    sea pigs are not a new species

  • Fart

    can we eat them.

  • Durrdurr

    Quote “new specie of sea pig” never said they were

  • Noerart

    everyone who does rov work up north in deep waters have seen a few of theese.. dont think they are all that “new”?

  • Noerart

    5 of the ten pictures here are not new at all,, in fact, i have a few of them on my laptop from my last trip offshore

  • http://www.pdfcontent.com/find/jeep+zj+3+5+in+lift+install+instructions.html adhi

    woww…better our own name with the name of the inventor, if that animal marine animals that do not yet have a name … right?

  • http://twitter.com/ENBdavies Erich Nolan B Davies

    i hope we don't kill them all!

  • Fatass

    This reminds me of the rock bottom episode of Spongebob.

  • Kbo

    Those captions really should have better spelling and grammar.

  • Cgggbg

    Really?

    The article was probably written by a Russian

  • Soendoro Soetanto

    Never seen them before. Amazing… how many kinds of animals we have on this earth.

    Soendoro Soetanto

  • http://www.norxshop.com Anavar

    Wow amazing pictures! I think there is so much more interesting species in the sea that we don't know about. Thanks for sharing!

  • salome

    if they dont go in any of the 6 groups wold they have too make up a new one

  • Flashfirekill

    hmmmmmmmm…the stareater looks like a messed up barracuda…

  • Carlosfarolan

    Wow God is amzing

  • UVB-76Catcher

    The Girls is HOT!

  • Melissa

    Russian? Why would you say that?

  • Erickmanuellopez

    In before atheists defend their ego!

  • 99tabytes

    i know thank him he practiced on these things before he made us

  • Eriga francis

    It's great to discover and see the unseen, let's search for more and know them, we are able.

  • http://twitter.com/Nathiest Nathiest

    ALIENS!

  • http://twitter.com/Nathiest Nathiest

    You think we care? (damn busted)

  • http://www.facebook.com/jastockton J.a. Stockton

    We only know a fraction of all there is to be known. I love new discoveries! : )

  • Dude

    “This is, what scientist say, a 9.8 inch long sea spider found in Ross Sea shelf in southern Antarctica.”

    Hmm, I'm pretty sure the Ross Sea is not in Southern Antarctica.

  • R_pratt

    If God made everything, then GOD can go fuck himself. I didn't ask to be tested, to see if my piddly little soul has enough faith.

    And yes, I'm an agnostic. So I don't give a rats ass about God one way or the other, except I don't need a god of any stripe to tell me to live a good life. I do it because it is the right thing to do.

  • anon

    It's part of a russian-run blog spam ring? :P

  • JoeyE

    agnostic is a wrong word.. it should be ATHEIST!
    and you don't need to rant others.. rant it yourself…

  • N Mca

    Yes, but what do they taste like ?

  • Anonymous

    “Hmm, I'm pretty sure the Ross Sea is not in Southern Antarctica.”
    o rly?
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Antarctica_Map.png
    Observe, and be educated.
    (Although, to my thinking, all of Antarctica is “south”.)

  • Unknown People

    “are” not “is”, its plural man

  • Luckyjack

    It is so sad to me to see that “collecting” animals is still a euphemism for killing in the name of science. While I'm all for learning about new species it pisses me off that science believes it is superior and necessary that morality ethics and kindness can be usurped in the name of knowlege seeking. iI feels that this compulsive “need to know” outweighs the sovereignty of the life it kills to gain this understanding.

  • lol@luckyjack

    You're so funny luckyjack,

  • Jesigirl098

    cool

  • Jesigirl098

    i love sea pigs!!!!!

  • Sudhakar

    i like these new creatures. thanks to show this pic.

  • hot stuff

    seapigs are beast my new favorite animal

  • hot stuff

    nevermind dumbo octoupus my new favorite animal google it

  • hot stuff

    dumbo octopus my new favorite animal google it

  • http://www.cvs-rx-dir.com/main/primobolan.htm Primobolan

    Great arrticle and awesome pictures.

  • Sciencekillingnature

    Thank you for your comment. Given the high cost of such an expedition; they should have implemented a system that would have enabled them to study these animals ALIVE. They call themselves scientists, and “marine biologists”; as they pose with their kill. It's disgusting.

  • Lil_wetzel_2007

    Your a fucking cock sucker. Go to hell you worthless piece of shit.

  • Digitusimpedicus

    Sea pork bbq. It's a sea food with bad cholesterol. oink.

  • Guest

    sorry to break it to you but there is no god

  • Anonymous

    this matter will be resolved soon :P

  • elizabeth Joseph

    wow it is driffent but i can be sure that our normal animals are normal that they are things that is worst

  • Badmusmustapha

    They can be kept in zoos so that the coming generation of human race can have experience about them.

  • Threewinds96

    Really? Then how was the world made or the soler system? I highly doubt that some meter’s made everything. And what about life? Do you think that we just appeared?

  • Threewinds96

    I hope you don’t mind if I share some Scriptures that I like. “There is no man righteous in the earth that keeps doing good and does not sin…. The true God made mankind upright, but they themselves have sought out many plans.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20, 29)
    “Not always will the poor one be forgotten.” (Psalm 9:18)
    “He chases after wealth, the man of greedy eye, not knowing that want is overtaking him.” (Proverbs 28:22)
    I really hope you take these Scriptures to heart.

  • g0D1zC0oL

    WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! no proof……. wrongggggggggggggg!!!”!!!!!!!!!!!

  • T-800

    I was hoping that they had found John Carpenter's ''The Thing'' out there but no luck……….

  • the doktor

    with religeon thay say that people who don't bellive in god will go to hell.
    but if you don't bellive in god you don't bellive in hevan or hell so you can't go to either.
    scriptur fail

  • the doktor

    as science explanes most things the things that science can't explane some people will call it an act of god

  • Kallebra

    u suck balles gay lord u can go F*** UR SELF god is real and ur gonna BURN IN HELL  

  • Borderingvertigo

    maybe you should read what you wrote and then apologize for having such a filthy mouth and then “I’ll see you there.” you honestly think you’re a true person of faith with the garbage that’s in your head?

  • razi akhter

    yup dude i agree with you does that guy really thinks he’s made for heaven

  • Lisa

    haha thats amazing ya know that girl in the sea pig picture showed up twice.

  • Myself

    Agnostic and Atheists share the same beliefs, dumbass.

  • Myself

    No. God’s not real. Give me proof, and don’t say the bible, because that’s just an old ass BOOK. That some moron might’ve written tons of years ago as a joke. Maybe to get people to listen to him even. Who knows, who cares. God’s not real. I bet you were one of those dumbasses who believed in the rapture thing too. Ahahhaha. XD

  • Smarts_chuy

    looks like it's really unknown

  • http://www.pickchur.com/2011/07/top-10-new-species-of-2011/ Top 10 New Species of 2011

    [...] 10 Unknown Animals Found off Antarctica49 comments [...]

  • Neversaynever

    These comments are disturbing for many reasons but let me add to the cluster.
    First:  Atheists believe there is no God, agnostics merely do not care.
    Second: The existence of God can not and perhaps by design will never be proved, since (like the engineer who created say the SIMs, he exists outside of his creation and no “Natural Physical Evidence” for his existence could ever possibly be found.

    However:

    Third: there is yet sound scientific evidence for creationists to believe in God since many theories, especially those of Quantum Mechanics, support the idea that the Universe is not as real as it appears and its beginning and indeed its continuance depend entirely on an observer to resolve the particle/wave duality of matter.

    In the long run it may turn out that Science is Gods best disciple.

  • Agb

    No, but they could eat you.

  • http://www.videoconverterfactory.com/dvd-ripper/ Aguilera

     You are really a funny guy! I think nobody dare to eat them! Otherwise you want to be the first one!

  • Hannah_priddy

    You need to shut up and keep that crap to yourself

  • Imtiyaz

    no you cant eat them use common sence

  • Hayil17

    a any body out there i’m in area 51 i mean it be fore i die aliens are real i just let them out by accented  place save your self  and help call 414 415 8815 and watch out for the angles of dealth  ggggggggg   

  • Sharma Saket

    very good collections