![]() When constructing a unique name for a new species, scientists may draw inspiration from the names of people, institutions, objects or, in the case of deep-sea discoveries, the research vessel involved. ![]() to recognise those involved in the discovery.to reflect a distinctive feature or characteristic of the organism. ![]() after the location or place in which they were found.Luckily for our deep-sea finds, scientists are being somewhat kinder when naming the new species they discovered during Sampling the Abyss. There are a range of conventions used when naming new species, including naming them: Sampling the Abyss voyage Chief Scientist Dr Tim O'Hara, from Museums Victoria, now has a worm from the abyss named after him. How would you feel about being called a ‘bone eating snot flower’? Pretty rude, eh? Then spare a thought for the unflattering name given to Osedax mucofloris, a species of polychaete ‘zombie worm’ named in 2005. So far, scientists have completed the process of describing and naming about 10 percent - about forty or so - of these new species. Coming from the abyss, these new species are also likely new to human eyes. From more than 800 species collected, around 400 of the invertebrates (affectionately called ‘seafloor bugs’) are thought to be new species. Scientists also found many hundreds of species new to science during the voyage. What they discovered – from abyssal depths down to 4800 metres – ticked every box: weird, cute, unbelievable, and, some might say, disgusting! They found giant bioluminescent sea spiders, discovered fish without faces, and watched herds of sea-pigs marching across the ocean’s abyssal plains.Ībyss life spun the evolutionary wheel and it landed on bonkers! That question led Dr Tim O'Hara from Museums Victoria and an international team of 40 scientists to set sail in 2017 on our Research Vessel (RV) Investigator for the month-long ‘ Sampling the Abyss’ voyage. We’re in the middle of nowhere and still the sea floor has 200 years of rubbish on it.Remember faceless fish? It now has some newly named friends. “We’ve seen PVC pipes and we’ve trawled up cans of paints. “There’s a lot of debris, even from the old steamship days when coal was tossed overboard,” he said. The voyage has also dredged up a bunch of garbage - which O’Hara said was just as “amazing” as the sea life they’ve found. “They aren’t all as spectacular as the faceless fish, but there’s a lot of sea fleas and worms and crabs and other things that are totally new and no one has seen them ever before.” “The experts tell me that about a third of all specimens coming on board are new, totally new to science,” O’Hara said. They’ve so far found bright red spiky rock crabs, bioluminescent sea stars and giant sea spiders the size of a dinner plate. Since May 15, the scientists have been engaged in a month-long study of the ocean’s abyss stretching from northern Tasmania to central Queensland. “It looks like two rear ends on a fish, really.” Tim O’Hara told the Guardian on Wednesday. “This little fish looks amazing because the mouth is actually situated at the bottom of the animal so, when you look side-on, you can’t see any eyes, you can’t see any nose or gills or mouth,” chief scientist and expedition leader Dr. The last one of its kind was seen by scientists aboard the HMS Challenger near Papua New Guinea in 1873. The fish isn’t winning any beauty contests: It has no visible eyes, and an entirely featureless head, save for two nostrils. The roughly 15-inch-long fish, officially known as a Faceless Cusk, was rediscovered over the weekend more than 13,000 feet deep in waters south of Sydney by scientists with the Museums Victoria and the Australian government’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, the Guardian reported. Researchers in Australia have discovered a bizarre “faceless” deep-sea fish - last seen over 100 years ago. 'Little Mermaid' fans slam 'skinny' Flounder: ‘Look like Steve Buscemi’ ![]() Michelin star chef to add 'semen' to the menu at trendy restaurantįish filet created via 3D printer may be hitting market in the near futureĪ 24-eyed jellyfish was just discovered - its sting is highly dangerous
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |