A deep-sea exploration team has discovered 57 new species, including one they compare to a Spongebob Squarepants character, ‘Patrick Star’.
The sea star was documented on the seafloor of the Mar del Plata Submarine Canyon, off Argentina, and was among the new species identified at an international Species Discovery Workshop, led by the Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census in partnership with the Schmidt Ocean Institute.
In total, the team identified 20 new species of copepods, 22 echinoderms (sea cucumbers and crinoids), 14 cnidarians (octocorals, sea pens and stony corals), and one scaphopod mollusc, with five new scientific genera spanning corals, sea cucumbers and crustaceans.
A vivid orange sea star, resembling the cartoon character Patrick Star, rests on the deep-sea floor. ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean Inst / SWNS
A newly discovered deep-sea species swimming in the Mar del Plata Submarine Canyon, off Argentina. ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean Inst / SWNS
A deep-sea holothurian, or sea cucumber, named “Loki” with prominent horned appendages on the seafloor. ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean Inst / SWNS
One of the newly discovered deep-sea species in the Mar del Plata Submarine Canyon. ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean Inst / SWNS
A newly discovered deep-sea species in the Mar del Plata Submarine Canyon, off Argentina. ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean Inst / SWNS
A newly discovered deep-sea species of sea cucumber swimming in the dark ocean. ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean Inst / SWNS
A newly discovered pink deep-sea lobster stands on the ocean floor, holding a translucent creature. ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean Inst / SWNS
A newly discovered deep-sea species featuring a central body with numerous radiating stalks ending in bulbous, translucent spheres. ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean Inst / SWNS
A newly discovered deep-sea sea cucumber with prominent horned appendages. ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean Inst / SWNS
Researchers used the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s remotely operated vehicle, ROV SuBastian, rated to a depth of 4,500 metres to search the ocean’s mysteries. Alex Ingle/Schmidt Ocean Inst. / SWNS
The workshop brought together 20 taxonomists and early-career researchers from across Latin America and Europe to examine deep-sea biological samples, primarily from the Schmidt Ocean Institute Underwater Oasis of the Mar del Plata Canyon expedition in August 2025, onboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel Falkor. Schmidt Ocean Institute / SWNS
One of the species documented by a deep-sea exploration team is shown on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, in the Mar del Plata Submarine Canyon, off Argentina. The team discovered 57 new species during an international Species Discovery Workshop led by the Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census in partnership with the Schmidt Ocean Institute. ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean Inst / SWNS
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