He lives in a veritable glass castle, buried in the depths of the ocean. However, it is not a storybook character, but a very real animal: a mysterious marine worm named Dalhousiella yabukii. This unusual creature lives inside a so-called “glass” sea sponge, an organism capable of producing a translucent skeleton and found in the cold, dark waters off the coast of Japan.
This worm is just one example among many that you will find in the long list of species recently observed by scientists in the depths of the oceans. The international Ocean Census program, launched to accelerate the discovery of marine life, announced that it had identified more than 1,100 unknown species in just one year.
Among these discoveries are fish, rays, soft corals and sponges with astonishing shapes, of which the Vox site draws up a small inventory. For Oliver Steeds, director of the project, this exceptional harvest above all reveals a huge blind spot in our knowledge of global biodiversity. Despite scientific progress, a large proportion of animal species – perhaps up to 90% – have still not been described.
For three years, Ocean Census has been exploring remote areas using high-tech submarines and the work of taxonomists. The goal is to fill as many gaps in our understanding of marine ecosystems as possible, one new species after another. Some creatures discovered are tiny, like this brightly colored ribbon worm found near Timor-Leste. These hues could signal the production of defensive toxins, potentially useful for medical research, particularly in the treatment of diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
The reign of the strange
Other animals discovered are more imposing, but just as discreet due to the depths where they live. This is the case of a “ghost shark”, in reality a chimera, a deep-sea fish with a cartilaginous skeleton. Unknown species of rays and catsharks have also been observed in Australian waters.
Some discoveries even challenge our perception of what an animal is. A carnivorous sponge, nicknamed a “ping-pong ball” sponge, uses structures covered in microscopic hooks to capture its prey. For their part, “sea feathers”, a type of soft coral, are in reality colonies made up of thousands of small, identical organisms.
However, the enthusiasm surrounding these latest announcements must be qualified. Identifying a species does not automatically mean it is new to science. To do this, researchers must compare specimens with existing collections, analyze their genetics and publish their results, a rigorous process that can take an average of thirteen years.
Some of the species announced have not yet been officially described. Without this step, they do not fully exist in the eyes of science or conservation policies. As several experts point out, naming a species is essential to being able to protect it effectively.
