From ‘Ghost Sharks’ to ‘Death Ball’ Sponges: Scientists Find More than 1,100 Wild and Unusual Ocean Species
- Researchers working through the Ocean Census identified 1,121 previously unknown marine species this year, utilizing 13 expeditions and 9 discovery workshops to accelerate what has traditionally been a slow taxonomic process.
- Although oceans cover over 70% of the planet, only about 240,000 marine species are formally documented while scientists estimate two million exist; the Ocean Census launched three years ago to close this knowledge gap.
- Deep-Sea "chimaeras," formally known as ghost sharks, glided through waters more than 2,624 feet deep in the Coral Sea Marine Park, while scientists shared findings via NOVA, an open-access platform enabling worldwide researcher access.
- Traditionally, 13.5 years pass between discovery and formal description, leaving species vulnerable in policy frameworks; the Ocean Census approach compresses this to weeks, providing what researchers call a "passport" for new species essential for conservation.
- Scientists estimate up to 90 percent of marine species remain undiscovered, raising questions about protecting ecosystems from climate change and deep-sea mining while most life remains unknown and unnamed.
62 Articles
62 Articles
From ‘ghost sharks’ to ‘death ball’ sponges: Scientists find more than 1,100 unusual ocean species
Deep in the ocean is a worm that makes its home inside a glass castle, a mysterious ghost shark and a carnivorous death ball sponge.These are just three of the 1,121 previously unknown species discovered in the worlds oceans over the last year, announced Tuesday by the Ocean Census, a global effort to map marine life involving more than 1,000 researchers across 85 countries.It marks a 54% increase in annual identifications, according to the thre…
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Slate.frWorms straight out of a horror movie, ghost sharks, and carnivorous sponges: the Ocean Census program claims to have identified more than a thousand unknown species in the ocean depths. Source link: https://www.slate.fr/sciences/nouvelle-mission-abysses-creatures-requins-eponges-vers-profondeurs-oceans-japon-timor-ecosysteme-classification Author: François Montcorbier Publish date: 2026-05-20 06:25:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to …
In the depths of the ocean dwells a worm that establishes its home within a “crystal castle”, a mysterious “phantom shark” and a carnivorous sponge shaped as a “death ball”.
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