You didn't think it was possible to find an active and relatively large predator in the most inhospitable areas of the oceans? Yet that's exactly what happened in the Pacific Ocean, over 8.000 meters deep. In these frigid and completely dark waters, where the pressure is devastating, an international team of scientists has discovered a new species of crustacean that defies all logic: fast, deadly and perfectly adapted to hunting in the extreme.
A predator in the darkness of the abyss
The discovery (I'll link the study here) occurred in the Atacama Trench, off the coast of South America, where depths reach impressive levels. The team of researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Instituto Milenio de Oceanografía he identified this new species of amphipod which he named sweet beautiful camanchacaIf I tell you that it is 4 centimetres long, don't laugh: this crustacean represents the first large active predator ever found in the so-called “hadal zone”1.
" sweet beautiful camanchaca it is a fast-swimming predator that we named after darkness, in the languages of the peoples of the Andean region, to symbolize the deep, dark ocean from which it hunts,” explains la Johanna Weston, deep-sea ecologist.
The scientific name perfectly encapsulates the essence of this creature, which has evolved to thrive in extreme conditions that would make any other form of life falter.
Hunting in the extreme depths
What makes this predator special are its specialized frontal appendages, similar to those of birds of prey. These natural “weapons” allow it to capture smaller prey in the hadal zone, an environment where food is extremely limited. The Atacama Trench, despite being one of the most extreme environments on Earth, hosts an ecosystem with over 400 species, all characterized by an extraordinary spirit of adaptation.
The surface waters above the trench are rich in nutrients, which allows the development of a food chain that extends to the deepest abysses. This geographic isolation has led to the evolution of unique species, not present in other parts of the world, as confirmed by Carolina González, IMO oceanographer.
Technology that Unravels the Mysteries of the Deep
Capturing these specimens required cutting-edge technology. During the 2023 IDOOS expedition, aboard the research vessel R/V Abbot Molina, researchers they used a special vehicle called a “lander”. This device allowed the placement of baited traps at depths of nearly 8.000 meters, where the pressure is 800 times higher than that on the surface.
Four specimens were captured and subsequently analyzed in the laboratories of theUniversidad de Concepción. Genetic and morphological studies have confirmed that not only was it a new species, but even a new genus, highlighting the uniqueness of the Atacama Trench ecosystem.
New predatory crustacean: implications for the future of marine exploration
This discovery opens new horizons in the understanding of deep ecosystems. Scientists are convinced that there are still many species to be discovered in these extreme environments, as exploration technology evolves. The research contributes to a broader project of understanding and protecting the ocean ecosystems deep, threatened by climate change and pollution.
Discoveries like this remind us how little we still know about the oceans and how important it is to continue exploring and protecting these unique environments. As the research team points out, each new species found in these extreme environments adds a critical piece to our understanding of the evolution of life on Earth.
- La adale area It is one of the most extreme and deepest areas of the oceans, located in the ocean trenches at depths between 6.000 and 11.000 meters. It is a truly particular environment that occupies less than 0,25% of the world's seabed. This extreme environment is characterized by a total absence of sunlight, very low temperatures, scarcity of nutrients, but above all enormous hydrostatic pressures (over 1.100 atmospheres in the deepest areas). ↩︎
