A crew conducting deep-sea explorations off the coast of Japan was shocked to discover a new species of sea snail living at depths never before seen for that family of animal, Discover Wildlife reported.
Researchers from the Japan Agency for Earth-Marine Science and Technology made the discovery at a depth of 3.72 miles beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean, per Discover Wildlife.
The sea snail was measured at 1.6 inches in diameter, which may not sound massive but is a surprising size for that depth, where the pressure is nearly 600 times the average air pressure at sea level.
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The researchers found the sea snail, also known as a limpet, attached to underwater volcanic rock, per Wildlife Discovery. Limpets use their tough tongues to scrape algae off rock and to aid in decomposition, playing a vital role in the ocean’s ecosystem.
In a study detailing the discovery, the researchers noted that most true limpets live in shallower, intertidal areas, but that scientists previously had identified two other species of deepwater true limpets. One was sighted in waters off Chile and the other in Antarctica.
Due to characteristics distinguishing the newly discovered sea snail from its deepwater cousins, the researchers concluded that they had identified a new species altogether — calling it “enigmatic” and “mythical,” per the Miami Herald.
They named it Bathylepeta wadatsumi, inspired by the god of the sea in Japanese mythology, noting that “it is also a reference to the fish-man character ‘Lark Monk’ Wadatsumi from Eiichiro Oda’s manga series ‘ONE PIECE,’ whose enormous body size is reminiscent of the large size that B. wadatsumi sp. nov. reaches for a deep-water patellogastropod.”
The discovery highlighted the benefits of using crewed submersibles for deep-sea explorations.
“Even in the age of sophisticated remotely operated vehicles, there’s often an edge to the human eye on the seafloor,” said Chong Chen, the study’s lead author, per Wildlife Discovery.
“Crewed submersibles like Shinkai 6500 let us explore with intention and nuance – spotting lifeforms … that might otherwise be missed entirely,” he added, referring to the vehicle in which the researchers had ventured to the sea floor.
The deep sea remains a massively underexplored and little understood region of the planet, with the sea bed being less well-mapped than the surface of Mars, according to the USGS.
Exploring the world’s oceans “allows us, collectively, to protect ocean health, sustainably manage our marine resources, accelerate our national economy, better understand our changing environment, and enhance appreciation of the importance of the ocean in our everyday lives,” explained the federal organization NOAA Ocean Exploration.
Particularly in the midst of rising global temperatures, better understanding oceans is vital to sustaining the world’s economy and food supply. According to the U.N. Conference on Trade & Development, the cumulative value of “ocean-based economic sectors” is a staggering $3 trillion to $6 trillion every single year.
Further, more than “3 billion people rely on the oceans for their livelihoods and more than 350 million jobs are linked to oceans worldwide,” per UNCTAD.
There are plenty of actions that can be taken at the individual level to protect the world’s oceans. For example, NOAA has recommended reducing the use of pollutants and hazardous chemicals that can run off into the ocean, supporting sustainable fishing practices, and boating responsibly.
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