A species of crustacean, unknown to science, was discovered on the coast of Chile. This is the first large animal found here – it lives in the depths of the Atacama at a depth of almost 8000 meters. Dulcibella Camancaca is also a real giant among its closest cousins.
At a depth of less than 6,000 meters from the surface, the least habitable ocean zone begins. It does not get much sunlight and its stress is fatal for most living organisms. Although well-adapted animals live there, their study is difficult due to the harsh conditions at their depths.
A predator in the dark
The scientific journal “Systematics and Biodiversity” published an article describing a previously unknown species of crab. The animal was found at a depth of 7902 meters in the Atacama Trench – a piece of ocean that runs along the western coast of South America. The attention of the researchers was drawn to the structure of the crab's leg, which is a predator.
Morphological and genetic analysis showed that the individual does not belong to any species known to science. Scientists named it Dulcibella camanchaca. The animal belongs to the order of amphipods, but it is much longer than its cousins - its body is four centimeters, while most amphipods do not grow to 1 cm.
“Dulcibella camanchaca is a fast-swimming predator whose name comes from the word for 'darkness' in the indigenous languages of the Andes, which refers to the deep, dark ocean in which it lives,” explained Johanna Weston of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. the author of the article.
Scientists explained that at a depth of about eight thousand meters, the predator is a very rare strategy – most of the species that live there are scavengers. D. camanchaca is the first carnivore observed in the Atacama Trench.
Johanna Weston's Dulcibella
“We await further findings”
Researchers collected four members of the species using a remote-controlled submersible. The amphipods were frozen on a research vessel and then subjected to detailed morphological and genetic analysis at the University of Concepción, Chile.
– We jointly confirmed that Dulcibella camanchaca is a new species. Carolina González from the Instituto Milenio de Oceanografía, the author of the analysis, said that this discovery shows the need for further research of the ocean floor. – We expect further findings during further research.
As exploration technology advances, scientists expect to discover more species that will help us understand how animals adapt to life in the deep. Knowledge also allows us to protect deep-sea ecosystems from threats such as pollution and climate change.
Millennium Institute of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Main photo: Johanna Weston / Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
