Science

Underwater Robot Captures Footage of Unexpected Aquatic Life at Deep Sea Vent

Researchers Find Potentially New Species at South West Indian Ridge Vent

Scaly-foot snail found at the vent. (Photo: David Shale via The Telegraph)

When researchers from Southampton University sent the Kiel 6000 underwater robot down into the depths of the South West Indian Ridge in the Indian Ocean near a volcanic vent, they thought they would find creatures much like those near vents in the Atlantic or central Indian Oceans. But here they found more.

The Telegraph reports these vents, known as black smokers, were crawling with yeti crabs, scaly-foot snails and sea cucumbers, among other creatures. The researchers think some could be new species.

Researchers Find Potentially New Species at South West Indian Ridge Vent

Shrimps such as this one were found all around the vent. (Photo: David Shale via BBC)

Watch footage taken by the robot:

The Telegraph reports Jon Copley, a lead scientist on the Indian Ocean vents protect for the university, as calling this vent “a real crossroads in terms of the vent species”.

As of right now, there are two known species of yeti crabs (Related: How the yeti crab farms food) and Copley said the one they found at the South West Indian Ridge was unlike either of them. He also said they found sea cucumbers that are usually found near Pacific Ocean vents.

Researchers Find Potentially New Species at South West Indian Ridge Vent

The yeti crab researchers found could potentially be a new species. (Photo: David Shale via The Telegraph)

The Australian reports that the team found 17 different species at the vent 2.7 kilometers below the ocean surface and will be analyzing their DNA and making other anatomical observations of specimens in the lab. According to BBC, the scientists have been surprised by the diversity found at this vent.

Comments (71)

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  • mountainmover101
    Posted on December 30, 2011 at 3:15pm

    While I find this somewhat interesting, it isn’t new or news. It is yet more proof of the waste of taxpayer funds on frivolous projects. It is easy to spend someone else’s money especially when there is no accountability. It is also a shining example of the bloated leviathan of the entrenched liberal academia which has only one purpose which is to constantly have a hand out for government dollars because there is no free market value of their skill-set.

    Report Post »  
    • Jenny Lind
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 4:33pm

      It is always good to understand our world, I find this fascinating and beautifull. God has left nothing unplanned for the ecology. It speak’s of His creation.

      Report Post »  
    • scheduler
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 4:41pm

      That is fascinating.

      http://politicalbowl.com – Political Videos

      Report Post »  
    • coolshopp
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 9:40pm

      Just because it doesn‘t interest you doesn’t mean it’s not news buddy. I could care less about anything Newt says from day to day, but it’s always a headline. Even the founding fathers understood the need to advance science, though I agree that there is a LOT of waste from gov’t sponsored research (like 600K to study shrimp on a treadmill). Also this isn’t even an American university. It’s British, so why don’t you worry about our own backyard, and maybe complain on a more American focused story. Or perhaps on the horrendous typos that litter my favorite news source- TheBlaze.Com

      Report Post »  
    • ariel33
      Posted on December 31, 2011 at 10:42am

      Many of these projects are privately funded. Anyway it is part of our human nature to explore which is why they get funded.

      Report Post » ariel33  
  • chips1
    Posted on December 30, 2011 at 2:07pm

    Evolution is real. The crabs have developed a defense against Red Lobster Restaurants.

    Report Post »  
  • Dismayed Veteran
    Posted on December 30, 2011 at 1:54pm

    Thankfully, it was British taxpayer money not ours. Dumb socialists.

    Report Post » Dismayed Veteran  
  • ThePostman
    Posted on December 30, 2011 at 1:11pm

    WOW, researchers have spent tens of millions of dollars… and found shrimps and craps and snails in the ocean! Why, I bet for just a billion dollars more, they could find fish too!

    This changes everything! Unemployment is solved! The energy crisis is solved! Woo Hoo! Let’s build more windmills, solar arrays, and plan the future for our new undersea friends!

    Report Post »  
  • Maxim Crux
    Posted on December 30, 2011 at 1:07pm

    They don’t look happy about being blinded by aliens.

    Report Post »  
  • semihardrock
    Posted on December 30, 2011 at 1:01pm

    FINALLY, the REAL culprit of “global warming” caught on tape!

    Report Post » semihardrock  
  • thegreatcarnac
    Posted on December 30, 2011 at 12:19pm

    Are you saying all black smokers have crabs. That’s sounds a little raaaaaaaaacist to me…lol. I am sure you will be hearing from the Naacp or Sharpton soon.

    Report Post »  
  • Baddoggy
    Posted on December 30, 2011 at 11:52am

    This is dumb. I saw this back when i was in High School…and I am almost 60. Still wasting our tax dollars pretending this is something new?

    Report Post » Baddoggy  
  • jackbauer2012
    Posted on December 30, 2011 at 11:11am

    I thought the OWS people in NYC were frequently passing along to each other the yeti crabs in their tents at night

    Report Post »  
  • 2012hey
    Posted on December 30, 2011 at 11:01am

    @Randerson – LOL – that’s computer forum moderation for ya – can’t use that no-no word h-o-m-o now can we – even though it is scientifically accurate for paleontology terms.. LMAO

    Report Post »  
  • I.Gaspar
    Posted on December 30, 2011 at 10:05am

    This is nothing special…I saw a lot of these creatures at the OWS tent city in New York…

    Report Post »  
  • rdk
    Posted on December 30, 2011 at 9:53am

    Are they good to eat?

    Report Post »  
  • Hrothgar
    Posted on December 30, 2011 at 9:44am

    I always like how the ugly creatures at the darkest depths of the ocean remind of my ex…..I do not miss that wench.

    Report Post » Hrothgar  
  • knighttemplar999
    Posted on December 30, 2011 at 9:13am

    Ha, black smokers huh. That’s a funny name, wonder if Jesse Jackson will object to this name.

    Report Post »  
  • SquidVetOhio
    Posted on December 30, 2011 at 8:19am

    This is a good example of micro-evolution or variations within kinds. Evolutionists are great at offering up examples of micro-evolution and then to proclaim macro-evolution (man from ape) as fact. Creationists do not disagree with micro-evolution. When the crab becomes a dog,cat, bird, or ANYTHING other than a crab, then call me……

    Report Post » SquidVetOhio  
    • Southernsoul
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 8:45am

      SQUIDVETOHIO, your obvious, complete lack of scientific understanding is awe-inspiring. Surely it is far more reasonable to believe that the ulitimate entity self created from nothing and then proceeded to make us so that we could fall to our knees in worship. How could anyone think otherwise? Oh, And I doubt this post will make it to the site since somewhere near half of mine are edited out. Odd for a site that is supposed to be about freedom and truth.

      Report Post » Southernsoul  
    • Ruler4You
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 9:21am

      You are on the trail, too. Good to see.

      “Evolutionists” or “Darwinists” if you prefer are all about ‘evolution’ but as was reported here this week about a tree, when a species approaches extinction a great noise erupts, ‘mankind has killed another’ . And then maligns human existence.

      So evolution, coming into existence and the passing through your environment while it, too, supports your existence and then passing things over to the next species is really just a “scam”? Nothing can go extinct? unless mankind has destroyed it? That‘s ’science?’ Where do these idiots come from?

      Now, with this ‘story’ unknown species appear and science proclaims the divinity of ‘evolution’ again? Some how science has let the trail of intelligence go cold. And now, stupid is really hot.

      Report Post » Ruler4You  
    • Pontiac
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 10:56am

      “Geology shows that fossils are of different ages. Paleontology shows a fossil sequence, the list of species represented changes through time. Taxonomy shows biological relationships among species. Evolution is the explanation that threads it all together. Creationism is the practice of squeezing one’s eyes shut and wailing “DOES NOT!!!”

      Report Post » Pontiac  
    • SgtB
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 11:30am

      You are a dunce. Man did not evolve from apes. The human species is as much related to apes as a hyena is related to a leopard. That is to say they aren’t. Humans belong to the species **** sapien, which is just one of several known hominids. Did you know that the ape with the closest genetic resemblance to ourselves doesn’t even have the same number of chromosomes? We did not evolve from apes. Maybe we shared a common ancestry some millions of years ago, but our evolutionary branch is far separated from that of any other animal alive.

      For you to recognize that “micro-evolution” is a reality while disregarding its direct consequences applied over a millennium is extremely short sighted and ignorant.

      BTW, what the hell really constitutes a species anymore? When I was in school they explained it that a species is a group of animals that cannot produce viable reproductive offspring with another group. It used to be this ability to procreate that split the species. Now we find out that polar bears and kodiak bears can breed and in fact produce non-sterile offspring and yet they are considered separate species still? And now we have sub-species. Obviously this is evolution taking place on a larger scale than micro and yet it isn’t what you would consider a “macro” evolution because polar bears didn’t turn into fish or walruses.

      Report Post » SgtB  
    • SgtB
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 11:47am

      Apparently the Blaze feels that the word H0M0 is so offensive that it cannot even be used in its’ proper context of a taxonomy for the description of a genus. Sorry Blaze, but you become less relevant daily.

      Report Post » SgtB  
    • nomark
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 6:25pm

      Yea, but didn’t you see the video of the ape making fire after watching it on TV?

      See, that’s evolution. All you need is ..um… someone to make the TV first, and then put the ape in front of the TV and then give the ape bananas when it crosses the sticks… and then the ape will evolve into a man. Right? Yea. That’s the ticket!

      Report Post »  
    • VigilantGuardShark
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 10:52pm

      Southernsoul
      Strange, I was able to read your post when it seems your expected it to be blocked. I guess that’s what happens when you jump to conclusions.

      Report Post »  
  • lookatthefactsjack
    Posted on December 30, 2011 at 7:35am

    Evolution does not make sense…. look at man.
    If we evolved from apes (or chimps) why did we give up so much stuff that would aid in our ‘survival of the fittest’? For instance, all apes are much stronger with a higher tolerance for pain than man. Also they have hair all over their bodies to protect them from the elements, we don’t. They have vastly thicker skulls (better in a fight) and very long canine teeth ( again, better in a fight) They have prehensile toes, basically giving them 4 hands to work with.
    Please cite for me another example in all of ‘evolution’ where an evolved species was so much less than it’s ancestor.
    Also, why would any species stay at the bottom of the food chain?
    Take krill for example, everything in the ocean eats krill and apparently have done so forever. Why didn‘t they ’evolve’ some defenses? Claws, spines, poison, speed, it seems everything else has developed some protection against predation except the ones that decided to stay at the bottom of the food chain.
    Sounds like intelligent design to me.

    Report Post » lookatthefactsjack  
    • randerson503
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 8:23am

      I don’t think we humans gave up anything. When a chimp builds a skyscraper or flies a jumbo jet across the continent you may have an argument. Plus, early hominids (**** erectus, **** habilus) did have many ape like attributes that enabled them to survive. You cannot deny evolution took place because its visible in the fossil record. However, you can argue, as I believe, that evolution was guided by an intelligent Creator. Or that evolution occurred naturally to a point for humans, but was then intervened by some higher intellect or power to leap us forward on the evolutionary time scale. Could be why the missing link is missing. It never was. Evolution, Creation, or a combination of the two, human civilization has only been around a short 6000 years. In that time we’ve been able to accomplish some pretty amazing things.

      Report Post » randerson503  
    • pizzacorner
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 8:24am

      The “defense” we acquired through evolution is a large complex BRAIN. Thinking is what separates us. We do not need claws because our brains allowed us to invent tools and weapons to survive. Modern Whales have hip bones, why could that be? Could it be that their ancestor (which is a land dwelling artiodactyl mammal that is closely related to the hippos), walked on land. Some of the oldest known whales swam with their hind feet. You would have to be a fool to believe a “being” created the universe, then this “being” visits earth among it all and walks around or his “son”. I believe certain Religions that teach peace and morals are a good thing for humans. God is many things to many people, but to think it is a actual “thing” that intervenes with human life is a bit much.

      Report Post »  
    • randerson503
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 8:25am

      Really? The prefix was blocked by the blaze? It’s not in any context that would be derisive to homosexuals.

      Report Post » randerson503  
    • SgtB
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 11:44am

      You are the one that needs to “look at the facts jack!” Human beings have a larger brain than any other animal for our size. This makes us more able to coordinate between each other to take down larger prey to feed our thirsty brain. If you think your brain isn’t a calorie burning machine, just have someone cut off the supply of blood to your brain via applying the correct amount of pressure to your carotid artery for a few seconds. You will turn off like a light without all the oxygen that powers the allows your braincells to produce ATP.

      Also, we are one of the few perspiring mammals. This, along with our lack of fur contribute to our ability to (not your ability) hunt prey during the heat of the day. To this day, there are still African hunters who can chase an antelope or gazelle until it passes out and dies of exhaustion. In case you didn’t know, because humans have the ability to walk on two legs and sweat, we are the most efficient over land animals. We can move further expending less energy than anything that crawls, slithers, runs, or walks. Only wings are more efficient at long distance travel.

      So all of those adaptations that you think are weakness, are not weaknesses but strength. And as for your assumption that humans are weaker than animals…. Are you not aware of the ability of the human male to bulk up to several hundred pounds of lean muscle with strength that matches or bests most apes? Ever watch world’s strongest man competition?

      Report Post » SgtB  
    • VigilantGuardShark
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 10:55pm

      Pizzacorner,

      I find your lack of Faith in a benevolent and loving God boring. I know God intervenes from time to time. Just because you haven‘t experienced his grace in your life doesn’t make it so for others. Just too bad for you.

      Report Post »  
  • 1776freedomofspeech
    Posted on December 30, 2011 at 7:19am

    Gumbo!

    Report Post » 1776freedomofspeech  
  • Eliasim
    Posted on December 30, 2011 at 7:01am

    Wow, the scientists were amazed at what they found. Somehow I thought they knew everything, I mean when they can say a subject is “settled science” it seems like they know all. And since science has got it’s rear kicked on “Climate change” it seems to me it is retreating (like liberals retreat to Bush bashing) to “Diversity.” Of course in the diversity science speaks of, the diverse life feeds on each other.

    Report Post »  
    • Pontiac
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 12:06pm

      [And since science has got it’s rear kicked on “Climate change” it seems to me it is retreating]
      Climate Change isn’t debunked. It’s changing even on Mars. Science however is debunking man made CO2 is the root cause better than the bible could ever hope. I’m getting tired of creationist proclaiming science is an absolute like their mistranslated, manipulative, incestuous fairytale.

      Report Post » Pontiac  
    • rush_is_right
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 6:22pm

      you mean like your racist atheist fairy tale of evolution pontiac?

      that has nothing in the fossil record to support it, nothing in the lab, no vestigial organs, no ‘junk’ dna….no there there…but don’t let facts get in the way of your faith you darwiniacs never do…..

       
    • rush_is_right
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 6:24pm

      “Climate Change isn’t debunked.”

      newsflash gomer er uh pontiac…the climate constantly changes…

      Report Post »  
    • Howyinthehills
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 11:47pm

      The climate is changing as it has done since “climate” began. Some scientists and a lot of politicians claim it is due to human carbon dioxide contribution to the air. Other scientists disagree. Science results when measurements confirm or deny the theories. When scientists find new life forms or new variaties of known forms they are making “measurements.” These become the basis for challenging or confirming old science or providing the groundwork for new theories. Something we refer to as God may have had a hand in it, but the burden of proving that rests with the person making that assertion and has to be confirmed by measurements.

      Report Post » Howyinthehills  
  • burned at edges
    Posted on December 30, 2011 at 6:48am

    New species? I would say it is the last of its kind. It must be put on the endagered species list. We need to create more of these underwater vents in the I.O. so this species can be seen and enjoyed by future generations! ;)

    Report Post »  
    • Gonzo
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 7:18am

      Agreed, all shipping traffic in the area must be stopped immediately as well. Scratch that, let’s stop all shipping period…that should do it!

      Report Post » Gonzo  
    • oceanbnd
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 7:36am

      LMAO. Yeahh, yet another wacko protectionist. Though in this case I’m sure your being sarcastic.

      Report Post »  
  • skitrees
    Posted on December 30, 2011 at 4:12am

    Oh…wait a minute…this is a UK channel, right? How long before we find out these shots were really taken in a fish tank – for storyline purposes/production aesthetics?

    Report Post »  
  • ConservativeCharlie
    Posted on December 30, 2011 at 3:21am

    AT ONE POINT LOOKS LIKE A scene from the little mermaid, Crabby!

    Report Post »  
  • UrbanCombatSurvivor
    Posted on December 30, 2011 at 3:20am

    How did an article about a cool scientific discovery come across as an opportunity to push their personal opinions on religion onto others to some people here?

    Report Post »  
    • TomFerrari
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 5:58am

      Er,… the same way it came to cause you to “push” your opinions against them?
      I’m just guessing, though.
      Perhaps you could ignore such posts?
      Just a thought.
      You see, Christians live in AWE of the beauty and diversity of God’s creations. We see God in everything around us. We understand that God gave us the intelligence to allow us to learn, to read, to write, and to build upon the knowledge of others. From that God-given ability, we are able to create things like like iPad’s, F-15′s, and Computerized Axial Tomography scanners. We see God in all those things. Just as we see God in the mountains, the yeti crab, the bumble bee, the hummingbird, and the platypus.

      Hopefully, that answers your question.
      (Oh, feel free NOT to read my reply, or to ignore its contents. I am not “pushing” anything upon you.)

      Report Post » TomFerrari  
    • UrbanCombatSurvivor
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 11:01am

      @TomFerrari:
      I understand what you are saying, what I don’t understand is feeling the need to make that your sole topic of discussion or comment. These images are amazing, interesting, and just fun to look at and learn about. To me, using something like this as an opportunity to preach personal beliefs seems manipulative at best.

      My personal beliefs don’t ever strike me as something to attempt to wheedle into every comment. For me, it’s a question of relevance. If this were an article about religion some of the comments would make a lot more sense, but an article about deep sea life? It’s no different that those people who bash (insert politician name here) when in article about a house fire. Yes, the two may be peripherally related, but relevant conversation seems more worthwhile, IMO.

      Report Post »  
    • UrbanCombatSurvivor
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 11:03am

      As an aside:

      I find this same behavior questionable from the Cult of Atheism when they do the same thing; take any remote connection as an opportunity to bash anyone not in their cult…

      Report Post »  
  • Apple Bite
    Posted on December 30, 2011 at 3:06am

    When will people realize that Evolution and “Intelligent Design” are one in the same?

    Report Post » Apple Bite  
  • bets
    Posted on December 30, 2011 at 2:39am

    I was told that if a person stood at center of the universe at the time of big bang the universe would have only taken 7 days to create from that perspective. God is so wonderful that there is no way for any person to understand or know the whole of His creaton. It was not long ago that science discovered that there is life under the rocks of earth. Miles down some kind of worm. the whole thing is awsome.

    Report Post »  
    • rt elms
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 7:19am

      I think you are referring to the theory of time dilation. In short, from the point of origin looking outward, the universe appears only thousands of years old, while from our vantage point looking back toward the origin, it appears billions of years old. Take a peek at irc.org/

      Report Post » rt elms  
    • rt elms
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 7:33am

      Correction: icr.org
      Sorry!

      Report Post » rt elms  
    • SgtB
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 12:01pm

      Time dilation is a joke. The idea that time changes just because you go fast is ignorance. Time doesn’t change. The chemical reactions that take place in your brain and in every cell of your body don’t care at what speed you are going. They just don’t. If anything, they depend on temperature, like every other chemical reaction they slow with decreased temperature. So if you really want to time travel, freezing would be the way to do it. Unfortunately however, by cooling yourself down, you also die. So too bad about that. And even if you could, you would be at a disadvantage because you would perceive the world as a blur because it was moving so fast. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you could always set yourself on fire and speed up how you perceive time. I’m sure anyone who has been on fire will say that it lasted forever and that time slowed down for that period during which they were engulfed in flame.

      Now, what people confuse for time dilation with speed is the fact that as you approach the speed of light moving away from an object, the object appears to freeze in time. Well, it doesn’t. What changes is the speed at which the light bouncing off that object reaches you. In fact, there is no way to tell if the entire universe is moving translationally at the speed of light because we are and forever will be in the reference frame of the universe. And Einstein’s light bending around the sun experiment was a crock. It bent towards, not around the sun.

      Report Post » SgtB  
    • rt elms
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 9:22pm

      I must defer to the guys and gals with the alphabet soup after their names on this one. However, there is math on the board that suggests time dilation as a plausible theory and it seems to solve some problems with the new/old creation issues.

      What I can say with the utmost certainty is:

      “… don’t ignore this fact: One day with the Lord is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.” (2 Peter 3:8)

      Report Post » rt elms  
  • BornJewishMuslimByFaith
    Posted on December 30, 2011 at 2:13am

    Life has many, many mysteries. As a believer in God I feel that evolution is compatible with creation. Even I wouldn’t agree 100% with the Islamic or any other religions perspective of creation. What I feel that both believer and skeptics are both correct in some weird way.

    Report Post »  
    • SageInWaiting
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 2:41am

      No way… life is too complex for the evolution “science” pushed today. The process: my wife and I conceived our child; her body went through such amazing transformations to nurture the development of the baby within her womb; the timing and bodily coordination of birth; the function of her breasts to nourish the child after birth. The male and female “developing” together in an evolutionary model – so much similarity, yet such striking differences resulting from a chromosome; the complexity of an eye? Not likely. The information coded in our DNA: I remember coding computer programs using computer cards… ever drop the stack? PROOF of the Laws of Thermodynamics – nature tends towards more randomness, NOT complexity. Creation declares the handiwork of God. A FOOL says there is none. Our astronomers point Hubble at a “dark” region of the sky and take an extended exposure – thousands upon thousands of galaxies were discovered in that tiny segment of sky. Is it REALLY a wonder that we keep finding such surprises? I think not… We say God is infinite; so He seems to be.

      Report Post » SageInWaiting  
    • TxSon
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 9:05am

      Who are you to say that evolution ISN‘T God’s way of creating diversity? The 2nd law of thermodynamics does NOT restrict systems from greater organization. It simply takes energy to overcome entropy. Stop using half-baked notions to try and prove the workings of God. God doesn’t need your proof.

      Report Post » TxSon  
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