Эрдэмтэд Атакамагийн далайн гүний ангалаас өмнө нь бүртгэгдээгүй, махчин амьдралын хэв маягтай хавч хэлбэрт шинэ төрлийг нээлээ.
2023 оны аравдугаар сард Instituto Milenio de Oceanografía (IMO)-ийн судлаачид Атакамагийн ангалын 7,902 метрийн гүнээс Dulcibella camanchaca нэртэй хавч хэлбэртний дөрвөн сорьцыг олжээ. Митохондрийн ДНХ-ийн шинжилгээ болон биеийн бүтцийн судалгаагаар энэхүү амьтан нь шинжлэх ухаанд мэдэгдээгүй шинэ төрөл болохыг тогтоосон байна. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)-ийн судлаач Жоанна Уэстоны онцолсноор, энэхүү нээлт нь Атакамагийн ангал нь өвөрмөц төрөл зүйл бүхий экосистемийн чухал бүс болохыг баталж байна.
Systematics and Biodiversity сэтгүүлд нийтлэгдсэн судалгаагаар, энэхүү амьтан нь далайн гүний бусад амьтдаас ялгаатай нь идэвхтэй махчин амьдралын хэв маягтай болохыг тогтоожээ. Түүний урд талын том мөч болон мах тасдах зориулалттай амны аппарат нь далайн ёроолд унасан органик бодисоор бус, харин амьд олз хайж ангуучилдаг байж болзошгүйг харуулж байна. Далайн түвшнээс 790 дахин их даралттай, хүйтэн, харанхуй орчинд энэ амьтан хэрхэн дасан зохицон амьдарч байгаа нь эрдэмтдийн сонирхлыг татаж байна.
2026 онд хэрэгжүүлсэн Joint China-Chile Atacama Trench Expedition (JCATE) судалгааны хүрээнд Fendouzhe шумбагч төхөөрөмжийг ашиглан 36 гаруй удаагийн шумбалт хийж, 112 миль үргэлжлэх далайн ёроолыг судалжээ. Энэхүү томоохон экспедициэр дамжуулан эрдэмтэд олон төрлийн амьтдыг бүртгэж, Өмнөд хагас бөмбөрцгийн хамгийн гүн дэх хемосинтетик экосистемийг илрүүлсэн байна. Эдгээр олдвор нь далайн гүний экосистемийн нууцыг тайлах, төрөл зүйлийн тархалтыг ойлгоход чухал ач холбогдолтой юм.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
A tiny predator has been discovered in one of the darkest and most extreme places on Earth: the Atacama trench. The newly identified crustacean, Dulcibella camanchaca, was found almost 8,000 meters below the surface, showing once again how much remains unknown in the deep ocean.
The species was collected in 2023 during a research mission led by the Instituto Milenio de Oceanografía (IMO) aboard the vessel Abate Molina. Scientists later confirmed that the animal belonged to a previously unknown genus.
Stretching for about 3,700 miles along the western coast of South America, the Atacama trench, also called the Peru-Chile trench, reaches depths of more than 26,000 feet near northern Chile. It sits in the hadal zone, the deepest part of the ocean where sunlight disappears completely and temperatures hover just above freezing.
The trench is not the deepest place on Earth. That record belongs to the Challenger deep in the Mariana trench, which reaches around 35,876 feet. But the Atacama trench is still a world apart, isolated from other deep-sea environments by huge stretches of ocean.
A Tiny Crustacean Armed Like a Predator
The discovery of Dulcibella camanchaca began with four specimens collected at a depth of 7,902 meters in October 2023. One female, measuring about 1.5 inches, became the key specimen used by researchers to identify the animal.
Scientists studied its body structure and analyzed two parts of its mitochondrial DNA, the 16S and COI genes, which are often used to compare and classify species. The results showed that the animal did not match any known amphipods closely enough.
According to the research team, the DNA and physical characteristics of the animal pointed to a completely new genus. Johanna Weston, lead author of the study and a hadal zone researcher at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), said that:
“Most excitingly, the DNA and morphology data pointed to thisspeciesbeing a new genus too, emphasizing the Atacama Trench as an endemic hotspot.”
The new studypublishedinSystematics and Biodiversity found that what makes the predator especially interesting is the way it appears to hunt. Many amphipods survive by feeding on organic material that sinks from the surface. This one looks different: it has large front limbs for grabbing prey and mouthparts designed for tearing.
Scientists have not yet seen it feeding, but its anatomy suggests it is an active predator moving through the darkness rather than simply waiting for food to fall from above.
Life Under Extreme Pressure
The world where this small predator lives is almost impossible for most creatures to survive. At 25,925 feet below the surface, the pressure is about 790 times greater than at sea level. Yet this small crustacean can swim, molt, and hunt in those conditions. Scientists are still trying to understand exactly how its body handles such extreme pressure.
The discovery also raises another question: is Dulcibella camanchaca only found in the Atacama trench, or could it exist somewhere else? Finding a species in one deep-sea location does not automatically mean it is unique to that place. According to recent studies of hadal ecosystems, some species can live across several distant trenches. The amphipod Profundum solomoni, for example, has been found in three widely separated trenches.
Another 2026 study, published in Science, identified 32 species living on the ocean floor in the Kermadec and Mariana trenches, while also finding similar communities in other deep regions, including the Atacama area.
Deep-Sea Expedition Uncovers New Discoveries
The predator’s discovery was followed by a much larger exploration campaign in 2026. During the Joint China-Chile Atacama Trench Expedition (JCATE), scientists used the crewed submersible Fendouzhe to explore the depths of the trench.
Researchers from the Universidad de Concepción completed more than 36 dives, covering around 112 miles of seafloor, with the deepest reaching 26,434 feet. Across the wider 156-day program, teams conducted 63 dives in total, including 50 that went below 20,000 feet.
The difference between this mission and earlier surveys was the way scientists explored the environment. Instead of relying only on baited traps, researchers traveled into the trench with cameras and sampling equipment, collecting sediment, environmental DNA, and video footage.
Early findings included translucent fish, jellyfish, sea cucumbers, and several amphipods that may be new to science. The Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering also reported the discovery of what it described as the deepest known chemosynthetic ecosystem in the Southern Hemisphere, a community powered by chemicals released from the seafloor instead of sunlight.
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