Ocean Life Survey Reveals World of Deep-Sea Creatures

Deep-sea species found by Census of Marine Life - photo
    1 of 5   Next >>
This heart-shaped jellyfish called a comb jelly was among thousands of tiny creatures captured in an expedition conducted in April to collect and catalog the world's deep-sea denizens.

The 20-day mission, sponsored by the international research group Census of Marine Life, brought 28 leading marine experts from 14 countries together in the Sargasso Sea, an area of the North Atlantic near the Bermuda Triangle.

The scientists used scuba divers and highly specialized nets and trawls to collect specimens from the ocean's deepest waters, 0.6 to 3 miles (1 to 5 kilometers) below the surface.

The researchers used a special onboard DNA sequencer to analyze more than 220 organisms, and at least a dozen new species were identified.

The research trip was funded by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and organized by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

More Photos in the News
Today's Top 15 Most Popular Stories
Free Email Newsletter: "Focus on Photography"
Photograph by Larry Madin, courtesy UAF/NOAA/Census of Marine Life
 

EMAIL NEWSLETTER Photos and News of the Week

Get the top photos and news of the week from National Geographic News, plus occasional breaking-news alerts.

See Sample >>
Please enter a valid email address
Privacy Policy
NEWS FEEDS    After installing a news reader, click on this icon to download National Geographic News's XML/RSS feed. After installing a news reader, click on this icon to download National Geographic News's XML/RSS feed.

Get our news delivered directly to your desktop—free.
How to Use XML or RSS




 

Photo and Headline Widget

Put our latest news and photos on your Web page or desktop—automatically updates! See Sample