New species of sea monster with 20 arms found lurking in the frozen seas around Antarctica
Scientists trawling on board a research vessel off the coast of Antarctica have caught a new undersea creature one with 20 arms and a distinctive body, shaped a little bit like a strawberry. The purpose of the researchers' expeditions, conducted between 2008 and 2017, had been the hunt for 'cryptic' sea animals: a group known as , or Antarctic feather stars. Although similar to other invertebrate ocean animals, like starfish and sea cucumbers, feather stars are distinct both in their 'large' size and 'otherworldly appearance' when swimming, the researchers said. The eldritch-looking horrors can live anywhere from 65 feet to about 6,500 feet beneath the ocean's surface, where they found eight unique species on their mission, including four never before named by scientists. The specimens unearthed during preceding expeditions had long been presumed, though without verification, to exemplify this species. Until this point, only a singular species had unequivocally been recognized as a constituent of this genus, designated as . The scholars noted that their capacity to aptly classify numerous additional distinct members within the genus had only now become possible thanks an examination of both DNA and physical morphology, or shape, of these organisms. The Antarctic strawberry feather star, the team said, can range in color from 'purplish' to 'dark reddish.' The new study was published this July . Even as these researchers may have unraveled one enigma of the sea, an abundance of undiscovered species remains in the uncharted realm. Comprehensive exploration will be indispensable to gaining even a basic understanding of the profusion of life within the Antarctic waters, they said.