10 million unknown species in marine bottoms

1999/11/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Zoologia
• Ozeanografia

This spectacular animal seen in the image was discovered in spring by the French ship Nautile around the dorsal of the Eastern Pacific.

There is little information about this only representative of a new species not yet designated. It belongs to the family of the polinoids, is carnivorous and lives independent of other species. But for researchers studying seabed this discovery is not so surprising.

According to estimates from the researchers, about 10 million unknown species live in these waters. The seabeds occupy more than 307 million square kilometers, that is, more than half of the terrestrial surface, a cold and dark world full of unknown species that endure an average temperature of 2°C and a pressure 250 times higher than the terrestrial one.