Let me present you to Ophiojura, a bizarre deep-sea animal found in 2011 by researchers from the French Natural History Museum, while trawling the summit of a remote seamount called Banc Durand, 500 metres listed below the waves and 200 kilometres east of New Caledonia in the southwest Pacific Ocean.
Ophiojura is a kind of breakable star, which are distant cousins of starfish, with snake-like arms radiating from their bodies, that live on sea floors around the globe.Being a professional in deep-sea animals, I understood at a glimpse that this one was unique when I first saw it in 2015. The 8 arms, each 10 centimetres long and equipped with rows of spines and hooks. And the teeth! A microscopic scan revealed bristling rows of sharp teeth lining every jaw, which I reckon are utilized to snare and shred its victim.( J. Black/University of Melbourne, Author offered) Above: Bristling teeth poke out from all 8 jaws, prepared to pierce and shred victim. The color in this micro-CT scan reflects the density of the skeleton.As my colleagues and I now report in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Ophiojura does certainly represent a totally special and formerly undescribed type of animal. It is among a kind– the last known species of an ancient family tree, like the tuatara.we or the coelacanth compared DNA from a variety of various marine species, and concluded that Ophiojura is separated from its nearest living breakable star relatives by about 180 million years of evolution. This means their most recent typical forefather lived throughout the Triassic or early Jurassic period, when dinosaurs were just getting going.Since then, Ophiojuras forefathers continued to progress, leading ultimately to the situation today, in which it is the only recognized survivor from an evolutionary lineage stretching back 180 million years.Amazingly, we have actually found little fossil bones that look comparable to our brand-new types in Jurassic (180 million-year-old) rocks from northern France, which is more evidence of their ancient origin.Scientists used to call animals like Ophiojura “living fossils”, however this isnt quite. Living organisms do not stay frozen in time for millions of years without altering at all. The forefathers of Ophiojura would have continued progressing, in undoubtedly really subtle methods, over the past 180 million years. Maybe a more accurate way to describe these evolutionary loners is with the term “paleo-endemics”– representatives of a formerly prevalent branch of life that is now limited to simply a couple of little locations and possibly simply a single solitary species.For seafloor life, the center of paleo-endemism is on continental margins and seamounts in tropical waters between 200 metres and 1,000 metres deep. This is where we discover the “relicts” of ancient marine life– species that have continued a relatively primitive form for countless years.Seamounts, like the one on which Ophiojura was found, are typically immersed volcanoes that were born millions of years back. Lava burps or oozes from vents in the seafloor, continuously adding layers of basalt rock to the volcanos top like layers of icing on a cake. The volcano can eventually rise above the sea surface, forming an island volcano such as those in Hawaii, often with reef circling its shoreline.But ultimately the volcano dies, the rock chills, and the heavy basalt triggers the seamount to sink into the relatively soft oceanic crust. Provided sufficient time, the seamount will decrease hundreds or perhaps thousands of metres below sea level and gradually end up being covered once again in deep-sea fauna. Its sunlit past is remembered in rock as a layer of fossilized reef animals around the summit. Voyage of discoveryWhile our new types is from the southwest Pacific, seamounts take place around the world and we are just beginning to check out those in other oceans. In July and August, I will lead a 45-day trip of expedition on Australias oceanic research study vessel, the RV Investigator, to seamounts around Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the eastern Indian Ocean.These seamounts are ancient– up to 100 million years old– and almost totally unexplored. We are genuinely delighted at what we might find.( S. Samadi/MNHN/KANADEEP2, Author offered) Above: Life on a seamount. Plume stars and fragile stars have actually progressed several arms to rise into passing currents.Seamounts are special places in the deep-sea world. Currents swirl around them, bringing nutrients from the depths or trapping plankton from above, which feeds the growth of spectacular fan corals, sea whips, and glass sponges. These in turn host various other deep-sea animals. These interesting communities are vulnerable to human activities such as deep-sea trawling and mining for precious minerals.The Australian federal government just recently revealed a procedure to develop brand-new marine parks in the Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) regions. Our trip will supply the data needed to handle these parks into the future.The New Caledonian government has actually likewise created a marine park in offshore locations around these islands, including the Durand seamount. These marine parks are beacons of progress in the international drive for better environmental stewardship of our oceans. Who knows what weird and wonderful treasures of the deep are yet to be found. Tim OHara, Senior Curator of Marine Invertebrates, Museums Victoria.This short article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Check out the initial post..

Possibly a more accurate method to describe these evolutionary loners is with the term “paleo-endemics”– representatives of a previously prevalent branch of life that is now restricted to just a couple of small areas and maybe simply a single solitary species.For seafloor life, the center of paleo-endemism is on continental margins and seamounts in tropical waters between 200 metres and 1,000 metres deep. Provided sufficient time, the seamount will subside hundreds or even thousands of metres listed below sea level and gradually become covered once again in deep-sea animals. Trip of discoveryWhile our brand-new types is from the southwest Pacific, seamounts occur worldwide and we are just beginning to check out those in other oceans. In July and August, I will lead a 45-day trip of exploration on Australias oceanic research study vessel, the Recreational Vehicle Investigator, to seamounts around Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the eastern Indian Ocean.These seamounts are ancient– up to 100 million years old– and practically totally untouched. Our voyage will offer the information needed to manage these parks into the future.The New Caledonian federal government has likewise developed a marine park in overseas areas around these islands, including the Durand seamount.