A team of researchers has discovered a new species in Antarctica. It is a being with 20 “arms” that at second glance reminds one of a fruit.
Bremen – Reports about species threatened with extinction are shared again and again. All the more gratifying when researchers find new species. Three scientists have succeeded in discovering a new species of feather star. This is a sea creature. Well-known species of the feather star have already swam in front of the lens of divers. The new species was found in Antarctica. The feather star is named after a strawberry because its body looks like the fruit, despite its 20 “arms”.
New species discovered: sea creature with 20 “arms” reminiscent of strawberries
The newly discovered strawberry feather star can grow up to eight inches long, according to Greg Rouse, a professor of marine biology at the University of California, San Diego business insider told. Along with researchers Emily McLaughlin and Nerid Wilson, he published the results about feather stars in the journal in July 2023 Inenchant Systematics. During a research trip near Antarctica, they pulled the creature out of the water. Between 2008 and 2017, the researchers were on several expeditions to the Southern Ocean, such as the Miami Herald reported.
At first glance, the animal does not appear to have any parallels with a strawberry. If you look at the knobbed body, the resemblance is more obvious. The shape and size actually seem to resemble a strawberry. However, the basket only became visible after the researchers removed a few of the tentacle-like threads. The scientists called these cirri. “We removed a few cirri so you can see the parts they’re attached to, and it looks like a strawberry,” Rouse explained.
Researchers find new species in the Atlantic – feather star named after strawberry
The strawberry feather star has small claws at the end of the cirri that they could use to cling to the sea floor, the researcher added. The “arms” are the longer parts of the animal. They are usually spread out and help the animal move. They distinguish the animal in particular, because “most feather stars have ten arms,” says Rouse. It was found at a depth of 65 to 1,170 meters.
Promachocrinus fragarius, the official name of the newly found creature, isn’t the only species the researchers found. The team of US and Australian scientists were able to find a total of four new species while searching along the Southern Ocean. All could belong to the group of Antarctic feather stars, like business insider wrote.
Researchers are also finding new species in other parts of the world. Discovered in Asia scientists an unknown mammal. (vk)
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