Aug 12, 2023 04:10 PM
https://gizmodo.com/antarctic-strawberry...1850730199
EXCERPTS: Another day, another terrifying sea creature for our fragile human minds to process. A team of marine scientists say they’ve confirmed the existence of a bevy of new species living around Antarctica...
[...] These animals are broadly related to starfish, sea cucumbers, and other echinoderms, but not too much is known about them. Until now, only one species had clearly been identified as belonging to this genus, called Promachocrinus kerguelensis. The specimens found in these earlier expeditions were long assumed but not confirmed to be examples of it. By analyzing the DNA and body shape of the creatures, the researchers say they were able to correctly categorize many more distinct members of the genus.
All told, they classified seven other species of Promachocrinus, including four species previously never named by scientists. Perhaps the most eye-catching newly discovered species is Promachocrinus fragarius, nicknamed the “Antarctic strawberry feather star.” The animal’s “strawberry-like” central body, as described by the scientists, has 20 arms that extend out from it, and its natural color can range from “purplish” to “dark reddish.” It’s believed to live somewhere between 215 feet to 3,840 feet underwater... (MORE - missing details)
https://youtu.be/Xlt4xZ7kAM8
EXCERPTS: Another day, another terrifying sea creature for our fragile human minds to process. A team of marine scientists say they’ve confirmed the existence of a bevy of new species living around Antarctica...
[...] These animals are broadly related to starfish, sea cucumbers, and other echinoderms, but not too much is known about them. Until now, only one species had clearly been identified as belonging to this genus, called Promachocrinus kerguelensis. The specimens found in these earlier expeditions were long assumed but not confirmed to be examples of it. By analyzing the DNA and body shape of the creatures, the researchers say they were able to correctly categorize many more distinct members of the genus.
All told, they classified seven other species of Promachocrinus, including four species previously never named by scientists. Perhaps the most eye-catching newly discovered species is Promachocrinus fragarius, nicknamed the “Antarctic strawberry feather star.” The animal’s “strawberry-like” central body, as described by the scientists, has 20 arms that extend out from it, and its natural color can range from “purplish” to “dark reddish.” It’s believed to live somewhere between 215 feet to 3,840 feet underwater... (MORE - missing details)
https://youtu.be/Xlt4xZ7kAM8