A discovery of a new species in the deepest depths of the ocean has baffled scientists and explorers.
The new genus was found in black depths of the largely unchartered waters of Bounty Trough, which plunges to a depth of 15,748ft to the east of New Zealand’s South Island.
Alongside three new types of fish, a shrimp, a previously undiscovered variety of sea cucumber known as the gummy squirrel and a sea pig, the find included an unknown type of octocoral.
Octocorals are a group of marine animals that includes sea fans, sea whips and soft corals. The "octo" part of the name denotes that they have polyps with eight tentacles.
A press conference was held announcing the new discovery
NIWA / Ocean Census / Rebekah-Parsons-King
The deep sea expedition was Ocean Census, an environmental non-governmental organisation (NGO). According to researchers, the new creature is so unusual that it has "baffled" scientists.
Taxonomist from Queensland Museum in Australia Dr Michela Mitchell told The Telegraph: "We now think it could be a new species of octocoral, but also a new genus...Even more excitingly, it could be a whole new group outside of the octocoral.
"If it is, that is a significant find for the deep sea and gives us a much clearer picture of the planet’s unique biodiversity. We’ve got a lot of experts here having a look who are very excited."
Experts initially thought the strange new organism could be a sea anemone or a sea star, but later discounted those possibilities.
LATEST SCIENCE NEWS
Sadie Mills, Alex Rogers and Rachel Downey examine the findings
NIWA / Ocean Census / Rebekah-Parsons-King
British marine biologist from Oxford University Alex Rogers, who was co-leader of the expedition, said: "It looks like we have a great haul of new, undiscovered species. By the time all our specimens are examined, we will be north of 100 new species."
Another expedition leader, Sadie Mills said scientists had found that despite its depth and forbidding conditions, the 500-mile-long Bounty Trough is "flourishing" with life.
She said: "We’ve gone to lots of different habitats and discovered a whole range of new species, from fish to snails, to corals and sea cucumbers – really interesting species that are going to be new to science."
About 20 scientists took part in the 21-day expedition in February, which departed from Wellington, announcing their findings on Monday.
Two mystery specimens collected, which scientists believe to be a potential new species of octocoral, or a whole other new group entirely
NIWA / Ocean Census / Sadie Mills
The scientists said the discoveries have provided an insight into how much there is still to learn about the deep ocean.
According to Ocean Census, only 10 per cent of the estimated one to two million marine species have been discovered and documented.
The NGO was established last year by Nekton, a UK-based exploration foundation, and the Nippon Foundation, a Japanese philanthropic organisation.