In remote waters near the Cocos and Christmas Islands, Australian and international scientists discovered a whole fauna previously unknown to science. The expedition aboard the research vessel RV Investigator surveyed seamounts at depths down to 5431 meters and identified 149 new species—from black corals and sea cucumbers to fish and parasitic barnacles.
These volcanic peaks, whose age reaches 40–120 million years, rise kilometers above the seafloor and create true oases in the cold and dark abyss. Currents, striking the slopes, accelerate and bring food particles, allowing filter feeders and other inhabitants to thrive, which in the ordinary abyssal zone barely survive.
Especially memorable was the "Shark Graveyard"—a site where the trawl brought up about a thousand teeth spanning more than 22 million years of evolution. Among them were teeth of white sharks, mako, tiger sharks, and even the ancient megalodon, as well as polymetallic nodules that attract the attention of mineral extractors.
In total, researchers recorded 1059 species, of which 149 were described for the first time. Among the finds are a new species of sea cucumber from the genus Oneirophanta, a fish from the greeneye family, and a rare deep-sea shrimp. Many species still need to be studied, but it is already clear: every new descent into the abyss brings discoveries.
Deep-sea ecosystems remain one of the least studied places on the planet. Ocean warming, pollution, overfishing, and plans for seabed mining threaten them long before we manage to understand how they are structured and how important they are for all marine life.
The expedition showed that even in the most remote corners of the Indian Ocean, there is hidden wealth that can easily be lost before we have a chance to appreciate it. Protecting such areas is not just a scientific task but a condition for preserving the integrity of the ocean, on which the climate and resources of the whole world depend.
