From the beginning of 2016 until now, newly discovered creatures such as “mud monsters”, giant sea cucumbers, both purple, have surprised explorers. Or a round-eyed animal with “water The dark purple skin also makes netizens excited. Many say it is a combination of squid and octopus.

Another expedition also discovered 500 more methane gas leaks on the seabed west of the US (previously only about 250 holes were known).

It’s unclear how much methane is emitted from these leaks, and what effect it has on the atmosphere, but researchers say the new findings will help scientists make a good estimate. than.

The round-eyed animal with dark purple “skin” is a combination of an octopus and a squid (Photo: Ocean Exploration Trust)

“No one has known about methane leaks for the past 20 years,” said Professor Jesse Ausubel, from Rockefeller University. “At first people thought they were extremely rare. Now, thanks to expeditions, we know more. The amount of methane emitted needs to be recalculated. These expeditions are very important.”

“Mud monsters” or giant sea cucumbers are two of many creatures that the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) expedition discovered in Marianas Trench, the world’s deepest underwater canyon. .

Another strange creature discovered by Ocean Exploration Trust (Photo: Ocean Exploration Trust)

“We’ve been to the Mediterranean, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and now the eastern Pacific,” said Dr Nicole Raineault, director of scientific operations at the Ocean Exploration Trust, which organizes many undersea explorations. with remote-controlled cars to get images of the seabed. We were really surprised by the diversity of the ecosystem there.”

“We know too little about the ocean and need to explore more,” he said.

Purple sea cucumbers on the Pacific seabed (Photo: NOAA)