Far beneath the surface of the ocean live strange creatures. This is the case of Bathydevius caudactylus, discovered 24 years ago, floating at a depth of more than 2,600 meters. Having remained unclassifiable for a long time, this animal from the abyss has finally been identified as part of the sea slug family!
Of the pressurespressures enormous, temperatures close to 0 and, of course, absolute night. The abyss represents an extreme world where many creatures evolve. Each dive into the ocean depths is an opportunity to discover new species, which often take strange forms. This is the case of this gelatinous mollusk and bioluminescentbioluminescent which was first observed in the year 2000 at a depth of 2,614 meters below the surface of the Pacific.
MBARI researchers discover new sea slug in deep ocean waters. © Mbari, YouTube
An animal that remained unclassifiable for a long time
Equipped with a sort of enormous hood at one end and several tentacles at the other, this creature with a very fragile appearance also allows us to see transparencytransparency these internal organs. A mysterious appearance which has intrigued scientists for more than 20 years, unable to classify this animal among existing groups.
A new species of nudibranch
But, after numerous observations in its environment and also in the laboratory, researchers have finally identified it. This would be a new species of nudibranchs, commonly called “sea slugs”, which often present colorscolors and extravagant shapes. Named Bathydevius caudactylusits characteristics are presented in a new article recently published in the journal Deep-Sea Recearch Part I.
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