Expedition off Chile

Promachoteuthis squid filmed alive for the first time

For the first time, researchers have also succeeded in taking pictures of a living Promachoteuthis squid.(Bild: Schmidt Ocean Institute)

Around 20 new species may have been found in an underwater mountain range off the coast of South America. For the first time, researchers have also succeeded in filming a live Promachoteuthis squid (see video above), according to the Schmidt Ocean Institute.

In addition, an underwater mountain, the Nazca Ridge, 900 nautical miles (around 1600 kilometers) off the coast of Chile has been newly recorded and mapped. It is more than three kilometers high and is home to a thriving deep-sea ecosystem, according to the researchers.

A Casper octopus was also spotted - a first for this species in the southern Pacific, according to the Marine Research Foundation. Two rare bathyphysa jellyfish - also known as flying spaghetti monsters (pictured below) - were also observed.

(Bild: ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean Institute)

Using an underwater robot, the team explored an approximately 800 square meter field of deep-sea corals on one of the mountains with a variety of organisms such as rockfish, brittle stars and king crabs.

Remarkable diversity of species
Pictures of bizarre-looking sea toads (Chaunacops) were also taken. According to the discoveries, there is a remarkable diversity of species in the seamounts of the south-eastern Pacific that have not been found anywhere else.

For the first time, researchers have also succeeded in taking pictures of a living Promachoteuthis squid (picture).(Bild: Schmidt Ocean Institute)

The team of oceanographers led by the Schmidt Ocean Institute had explored a part of the so-called Chile Ridge around 1500 kilometers off the coast. This is a deep-sea mountain range along the seam of two diverging tectonic plates. The findings confirm how diverse the ecosystems there are, said Tomer Ketter from the Schmidt Ocean Institute.