Eerie 'Darkness' Predator Discovered in Deep Ocean

A bizarre new predator has been discovered lurking 26,000 feet below the ocean's surface and has been named after its pitch-black home. The new crustacean was discovered deep in the Atacama Trench that lies off of the coast of Peru, scientists reported in the journal Systematics and Biodiversity. This discovery of the species, named Dulcibella camanchaca, marks the first active predatory amphipod ever found at these depths. "Dulcibella camanchaca is a fast-swimming predator that we named after "darkness" in the languages of the peoples from the Andes region to signify the deep, dark ocean from where it predates," study co-author Johanna Weston, a hadal ecologist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), said in a statement.

The hadal zone is the deepest layer of the ocean, stretching between 19,700 and 36,000 feet deep. This layer of the ocean mostly includes deep-sea trenches and troughs and is home to some of the weirdest and wackiest creatures on our planet. The pressure at these depths can exceed 1,000 times the atmospheric pressure at sea level and temperatures sit just above freezing, making it one of the most extreme habitats on Earth. Life in the hadal zone includes unique species like amphipods, sea cucumbers and xenophyophores, which often have evolved adaptations such as soft, compressible bodies to withstand the immense pressures. D. camanchaca is a tiny predator, measuring about 1.6 inches long. Four specimens of the new species were collected from a depth of 25,925 feet in 2023 by the Integrated Deep-Ocean Observing System (IDOOS) Expedition aboard the R/V Abate Molina. The little creatures were then taken back to the Instituto Milenio de Oceanografía (IMO) at the Universidad de Concepción, Chile, for genetic analysis, after which they were determined to be a brand new species. These predators hunt and capture smaller amphipods in the trench as prey using specialized appendages. Predation is relatively rare in the hadal zone, with most organisms scavenging on organic matter drifting from upper layers of the ocean (marine snow), or relying on chemosynthetic bacteria for nutrients. "Most excitingly, the DNA and morphology data pointed to this species being a new genus too, emphasizing the Atacama Trench as an endemic hotspot," Weston said.

This discovery highlights the unique biodiversity hidden even in the deepest parts of our ocean and how the isolation of trench environments can breed unique adaptations. "This study's collaborative effort and integrative approach confirmed Dulcibella camanchaca as a new species and highlights ongoing biodiversity discoveries in the Atacama Trench," Carolina González, study co-author and IMO researcher, said in the statement. "This finding underlines the importance of continued deep-ocean exploration, particularly in Chile's front yard. "More discoveries are expected as we continue to study the Atacama Trench." Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about marine biology? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.

References

Weston, J. N. J., González, C. E., Escribano, R., & Ulloa, O. (2024). A new large predator (Amphipoda, Eusiridae) hidden at hadal depths of the Atacama Trench. Systematics and Biodiversity, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/14772000.2024.2416430