Scientists believe as many as 10 million different species live in the deep sea, adapting to extreme pressure, complete darkness and low temperatures with remarkable creativity. Every exploratory journey to the deep returns with new discoveries, revealing these creatures uniquely adapted to life far below the waves. Now, the DSCC is offering ocean lovers the opportunity to name a new-to-science deep-sea coral.
The coral was discovered by Dr Michelle Taylor in the Southwest Indian Ocean on Melville Bank, one of over 1,000 seamounts in the region. Seamounts are hotspots for biodiversity, host to vast coral gardens which act as shelter and foraging grounds for species like whales, sharks and turtles.
While home to countless new discoveries, the deep sea is also extremely fragile. Species, like this coral, risk being lost forever before they have been discovered or studied. A range of human activities pose a threat to the health of the deep ocean and the life that inhabits it. Seamounts, like Melville Bank where the coral was discovered, are at risk from bottom trawling, which drags heavy nets across the seabed, easily destroying fragile and long-lived habitats and species in its wake.
The new-to-science coral was discovered as part of a larger coral garden, and is believed to be part of the Thouarella genus. Standing at just 11cm tall, it is light yellow and plate-like in shape. The branches are covered in hundreds of individual polyps (the protrusions seen in the picture out of the top of which the feeding tentacles emerge). It is the shape and size of the calcium carbonate scales on these polyps that make it different from every other species of Thouarella found so far.
“The Southwest Indian Ocean is very remote and its deep waters are rarely seen and sampled. A number of colonies of this species were picked up by a remotely operated vehicle – a very useful science robot! It wasn’t until we were back in the laboratory on land that I realized this was a species new to science. I had to read dozens of species descriptions, but there was a slow realization that these colonies were different; that’s when the excitement of discovering something new really sets in. New species are relatively common in the deep-sea coral world but each one is still exciting.” Dr Michelle Taylor said of the discovery.
A panel of judges will decide on the winning name, to be announced in October 2024 at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP 16) in Colombia. Entries will be judged on creativity, novelty, relevance, and accuracy.
Enter the competition here.