environment · 3 outlets · 3 linked reports
Scientists Log Over 1,100 New Ocean Species in a Single Year
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Summary
- The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census identified 1,121 new marine species in 2026 — a 54% jump in annual discoveries — across 13 expeditions.
- Highlights include a deep-sea ghost shark found as deep as 6,575 meters, a worm living inside the 'glass castle' chambers of a silica sponge, and 24 new amphipods (including an entirely new superfamily) in the Pacific's Clarion-Clipperton Zone.
- The finds feed an open-access database as scientists race to document ocean life before it's lost.
The question
We've barely begun to catalog the life hidden in the deep ocean.
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