Monterey Bay, California: Scientists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) have unveiled a remarkable new sea slug species discovered deep in the ocean’s midnight zone. Nicknamed the “mystery mollusk,” this unusual creature, named Bathydevius caudactylus, glows with bioluminescence and is about the size of an apple.
MBARI researchers, led by senior scientists Bruce Robison and Steven Haddock, first encountered the creature in 2000 while conducting a deep-water dive near Monterey Bay with the remotely operated vehicle Tiburon. After more than 150 sightings over the years, they have now classified the mollusk as a nudibranch, a type of sea slug, although it defies conventional appearance with a “bowl-shaped hood” and a “feathered” tail.
The creature’s unique morphology includes a large, gelatinous hood and a flat, fringed tail. “At first glance, it looked more like a megaphone with a feathered tail than a sea slug,” said Haddock. The species name Bathydevius refers to its elusive, “devious” nature, while caudactylus highlights its tail’s fingerlike projections.
Unlike other sea slugs that typically reside near coastlines or seafloor habitats, Bathydevius thrives in the ocean’s midnight zone—depths between 1,000 and 4,000 meters that cover nearly 70% of the world’s seawater. According to Robison, understanding this nudibranch provides “a new piece of the puzzle” for studying Earth’s largest habitat.
The study, published in Deep Sea Research Part I, sheds light on how this bioluminescent sea slug navigates one of the planet’s most extreme environments. The discovery is a significant addition to deep-sea biology, helping scientists explore the mysteries of life in Earth’s hidden depths.
Read Now:Kerala IAS Officer ‘Collector Bro’ Suspended for Criticizing Senior Bureaucrat Claims Role as Whistleblower
Reference: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/all-about-the-mystery-mollusk-discovered-in-the-ocean-s-midnight-zone-7007215
