Судлаачид Атлантын далайн өмнөд хэсэгт орших Мар дель Плата хавцлыг судалж, далайн амьтны 57 шинэ зүйл болон таван шинэ төрлийг нээв.
Аргентины эрэг орчмын гүний усыг судлах “Underwater Oases of the Mar del Plata Canyon” экспедиц 2025 оны долдугаар болон наймдугаар сард “Falkor (too)” судалгааны хөлөг онгоцоор дамжуулан судалгаа явуулжээ. Энэхүү баг Бразил-Мальвины урсгалын нэгдэл буюу субтропикийн бүсийн бүлээн ус болон өмнө зүгийн хүйтэн, шим тэжээлээр баялаг урсгал огтлолцдог бүс нутгийг голчлон судалсан байна. Судлаачид 3500 гаруй метрийн гүнд хүрэхийн тулд алсаас удирддаг ROV SuBastian төхөөрөмжийг ашиглан далайн ёроолын амьд дүрс бичлэгийг авчээ.
2026 оны долдугаар сард Латин Америк болон Европын 20 орчим таксономич, судлаачид хамтран “Species Discovery Workshop” уулзалтыг зохион байгуулж, цуглуулсан дээжүүдээ нарийвчлан шинжилсэн байна. Тэд 2012 болон 2013 онд явуулсан “Talud Continental I-III” экспедицийн хуучин дээжүүдтэй харьцуулан судалсны дүнд 20 зүйлийн копепод, 22 зүйлийн хоёр нутагтан амьтан, 14 зүйлийн cnidarians буюу хөндийт хэвлийтэн болон нэг зүйлийн нялцгай биетэн шинээр илэрснийг тогтоожээ. Эдгээр олдворын дотор эвэр мэт бүтэцтэй, “Локи” хэмээн нэрлэсэн далайн өргөст хэмх онцгой анхаарал татсан байна.
Энэхүү судалгааны ажил нь олон улсын таксономийн хамтын ажиллагаа далайн гүний амьтны аймгийг баримтжуулахад ямар ач холбогдолтойг харууллаа. Шинээр нээгдсэн амьтдын дээжийг Аргентины байгалийн шинжлэх ухааны “Bernardino Rivadavia” музейд хадгалахаар төлөвлөжээ. Шинжлэх ухааны баг 2027 оны хоёр болон гуравдугаар сард дахин нэг экспедиц зохион байгуулж, өөр нэгэн гүний хавцлыг судлахаар төлөвлөж байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Scientists exploring the deep waters off Argentina have uncovered 57 species new to science and five new genera in and around the Mar del Plata Canyon. The discoveries range from tiny copepods to sea cucumbers, corals and sea pens, showing just how much life is still waiting to be documented in the deep South Atlantic.
The findings come from the Underwater Oases of the Mar del Plata Canyon expedition, carried out in July and August 2025 aboard the research vessel Falkor (too). The team focused on the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence, where warm subtropical waters meet cold, nutrient-rich currents from the south.
The story did not end when the ship returned to port. In July 2026, 20 taxonomists and early-career researchers from Latin America and Europe met for a Species Discovery Workshop to examine the specimens in detail. They also looked at older samples collected during Argentina’s Talud Continental I-III expeditions in 2012 and 2013.
A Haul of 57 New Species
The new species belong to several very different groups. Researchers identified 20 copepods, 22 echinoderms, including sea cucumbers and crinoids, 14 cnidarians, such as octocorals, sea pens and stony corals, plus one scaphopod mollusc.
They also found five new genera among corals, sea cucumbers and crustaceans. One of the most eye-catching animals was a sea cucumber nicknamed “Loki the Sea Cucumber” (Peniagone sp.) because of the horn-like structures on its body. It was one of as many as 10 new holothurian species recognized during the workshop.
Another notable find was a Pseudotachidius copepod collected between 1,909 and 2,625 meters deep. Researchers examined only around 10% of the copepod samples, yet every specimen they looked at turned out to be new to science. That alone led to 20 new species and one new genus.
Life In A Canyon More Than 3,500 Meters Deep
The expedition explored a submarine canyon that drops beyond 3,500 meters, nearly twice the depth of the Grand Canyon. To reach those depths, the team used the remotely operated vehicle ROV SuBastian.
The vehicle sent live footage from the seafloor, and more than four million people tuned in. Viewers saw deep-sea coral reefs, mushroom coral fields and a surprisingly wide variety of animals.
One of the most popular sightings was a bright orange sea star that looked a lot like Patrick Star from SpongeBob SquarePants. It was not confirmed as a new species, but it quickly became one of the expedition’s most memorable images.
The dives also revealed a bright red-orange Orstomisis octocoral at 1,954 meters and a Pseudumbellula sea pen collected with SuBastian’s robotic arm. As the same source reported, that sea pen was one of the 14 new cnidarian species identified during the workshop.
A Fast-track Approach To Naming Deep-sea Life
The 2026 workshop was led by the Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census together with the Schmidt Ocean Institute. Researchers used several taxonomic methods and added their discoveries directly to Ocean Census NOVA, an open-access platform for newly discovered marine species.
“International cooperation in taxonomy is critical, especially in groups with few active specialists,” said expedition principal investigator Daniel Lauretta. He said the workshop helped speed up species identification and gave early-career researchers more hands-on experience with deep-sea fauna.
The specimens will stay in Argentine scientific collections, including the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia” in Buenos Aires.
“Discovering 57 new species and five genera in just two weeks demonstrates the speed and power of collaborative taxonomy,” said Michelle Taylor, head of science at Ocean Census.
The work is set to continue with another Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition in February and March 2027, this time targeting a different submarine canyon believed to have high endemism.
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