In the Atacama Trench, scientist sent down a device they call a ‘lander’. The lander is equipped with bait, cameras and monitors to record everything going on. During this trip, the lander recorded three new snailfish species eating the bait. From the videos that the lander took, the snailfish looks to be just about a foot long. Also were found 21,000 feet deep In the ocean. The snailfish are white ghost like creatures with translucent skin.

According to the researchers the reason the snailfish has such a “gelatinous structure” is because of the extreme pressure. For example if the snailfish was brought to the surface it would start to melt because of how fragile it is. I think that the snailfish is a really cool find and really opens my imagination to what could actually be out in the ocean. Maybe one day scientist will find a huge fish with a gelatinous structure lurking in the depths.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2018/09/11/scientists-discover-three-new-sea-creatures-depths-pacific-ocean/

The Deepstaria Jellyfish was a new type of jellyfish found 2,500 feet deep in the pacific ocean. This discovery was found by a group called “Ocean Exploration Trust” and was finally confirmed and published in September. The group originally thought it was a normal deep sea jelly until it began to unfold and expanded to look like a big sleeve of organic tissue. From the pictures provided in the article the jelly looks like a see through ghost with a few organs. The odd thing about this jellyfish is that it doesn’t have any stinging tentacles, which is very confusing.

The reason it’s so odd to find a jellyfish species without any stinging tentacles is because they use their tentacles to hunt. When a jellyfish’s tentacle comes into contact with its prey venom gets injected onto the prey and gets stun by the tentacle. After the prey is poisoned and stung it uses the tentacle to bring the prey to its mouth to be digested. That is how a typical jelly eats, and is why researchers are confused by how it eats. Personally I found this article very interesting, as well as watching the video of the researchers finding the species and getting their first reactions. To see the jellyfish as one initial shape, to then morphing into something completely different was mind-boggling and makes me wonder what other creatures live in the depths of the ocean.

https://news.avclub.com/if-the-deep-sea-wasnt-scary-enough-heres-video-of-a-sh-1837901516

https://www.earthtouchnews.com/oceans/invertebrates/watch-shapeshifting-jellyfish-puts-on-a-mesmerising-show-while-researchers-freak-out/

https://www.wired.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/The-scyphomedusa-Deepstaria1.gif

The Berardius Minimus is a new species of whale, but does not have similar features of a typical whale. The B. Minimus has a short beak is a dark gray/black color, and is smaller then other recently discovered whales in the Berardius species. A typical adult will average around seven meters long. The first sightings of these whales were on beaches on the coast of Okhotsk in Russia, and by whalers in Hokkaido, which is the second main island in Japan.

These species of whales have been know to specialize in very deep water and diving for long periods of time. Researchers are still trying to figure out whether or not if the B. Minimus is a new species, because of it very odd body shape. Also from all the information they’ve gathered, no one has seen a adult female, which would be able to answer more questions about the B. Minimus being considered a new species. Universities in Hokkaido teamed up with other departments of zoology and mammals to publish a formal paper, involving the discovery of the B. Minimus on August 30th, 2019.

https://nypost.com/2019/09/05/new-beaked-whale-species-discovered-off-coast-of-japan/

https://sciencythoughts.blogspot.com/2019/09/berardius-minimus-new-species-of-beaked.html

http://cdn3.upsocl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/fondo-ceta.jpg

The Chimaera or scientifically known as Hydrolagus Colliei is a fish species discovered in 1953, by a man named Dmitry Obruchev. Chimaeras lived deep in the ocean around 8,000 ft. deep, and are know to have very soft bodies with a rock like head. The largest found Chimaera was five feet long and was a ghost like color. They can be commonly found in temperate and cold waters along the coastline.

Chimaera’s have four pectoral fins to allow them to swim quickly through the water. To defend themselves they have a poisonous spike on the first dorsal fin closest to its head. If attacked by a predator the fin will straighten up and the spike will get stuck in the predators mouth if bitten, just like a stingray. Although not as harmful as a stingray, the attacker will still be poisoned. Chimaera’s would be considered a delicacy in some places, and was once harvest for the oil to be used for a lubricant.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimaera

https://owlcation.com/stem/The-Chimaera-Ratfish-or-Ghost-Shark-Strange-and-Cartilaginous

https://www.britannica.com/animal/chimaera