Scientists Map Seafloor Off Australia’s Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Uncover Cool Deep-Sea Fish

Scientists have mapped the seafloor of Australia’s Cocos (Keeling) Islands Marine Park intimately for the primary time, revealing an entire bunch of never-before-seen, deep-sea fish.

Samples of these fish have been collected from depths as far down as 5 km/3.11 miles deep.

Among the many new finds have been:

* A beforehand unknown blind eel collected from a depth of about 5 km coated in unfastened, clear, gelatinous pores and skin. Their eyes are poorly developed and, unusually for a fish, females give beginning to dwell younger.

* Deep-sea batfishes that amble over the seafloor on their arm-like fins. They’ve a tiny “fishing lure” in a small hole on their snout to draw prey.

* Highfin Lizard fish are voracious deep-sea predators with mouths filled with lengthy sharp enamel. They belong to a gaggle of fishes which might be simultaneous hermaphrodites; they’ve an ovotestis with useful female and male reproductive tissue on the identical time.

Based on Dr. Tim O’Hara, the expedition’s chief scientist from Museum Victoria Analysis Institute:

“We’ve found a tremendous variety of probably new species dwelling on this distant marine park. We’re proud that our maps, information and pictures might be utilized by Parks Australia to handle the brand new marine park into the longer term.”

As a part of the mapping course of, scientists unveiled huge flat-topped historical sea mountains, flanked by volcanic cones, snarly ridges and canyons fashioned from avalanches of sand which have slumped down onto the abyssal ocean ground.

For more information, go to csiro.au or try the video beneath.