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Friday, 27 January 2012


Picture: Prof Alex Rodgers/Oxford University/PA
Picture: Prof Alex Rodgers/Oxford University/PA


‘Lost world’ discovered under sea

A Lost world of unknown sea creatures has been discovered living in the deep sea near Antarctica.

The mysterious creatures, including crabs, starfish, anemones and octopuses, were captured on camera by a robotic submarine. They live around volcanic vents in the Southern Ocean at depths of 2,000 metres. The temperature around the vents can be as high as 380°C.

The environment the creatures live in is not only hot, but also very dark, as the sun’s rays do not reach that far below the water. The creatures have developed a way of surviving that does not rely on light from the sun. Instead, they get their energy from breaking down chemicals in the water.

The creatures discovered include a seven-armed starfish and a pale octopus (pictured).

Professor Alex Rogers from Oxford University said: “The vents are home to animals found nowhere else on the planet.”

He said that the discovery of this lost world shows how important it is to look after all the different forms of life on Earth: “Everywhere we look we find unique ecosystems that we need to understand and protect.”





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  • superdog7 (Age 12) wrote on Friday, 27 January 2012 @ 13:07

    well that is really very interesting! :)

  • klippy2676 (Age 8) wrote on Friday, 27 January 2012 @ 19:32

    poor him

  • Dream123 (Age 13) wrote on Sunday, 29 January 2012 @ 19:27

    WOW!! that is awesome! it just goes to show how rapidly life is evolving and how creatures are so clever to survive in this way!!! :D i love marine biology!!

  • cuthj01220 (Age 10) wrote on Monday, 30 January 2012 @ 17:17

    Must be a horrible place to live, how do they survive?

  • Mirri04 (Age 13) wrote on Tuesday, 31 January 2012 @ 15:39

    When I saw the title, I immediately thought that this article was about Atlantis!