A newly-discovered carnivorous sea sponge that looks like a perfect sphere—but covered in hooked teeth—is easily the weirdest thing found during a recent survey of the Antarctic sea floor. Earlier this year, the Nippon Foundation’s Nekton Ocean Census worked with Schmidt Ocean Institute’s ship, Falkor, to explore a previously uncharted ocean floor following the calving of the George VI ice shelf. That’s where they spotted the sponge, along with several other creatures, including a juvenile colossal squid, which previously had not been witnessed alive.
The team sent down remotely operated vehicles tethered to a submarine, where they controlled the ROVs. The drones extensively explored the seabed, discovering a plethora of new species and intriguing creatures. Alongside the baby colossal squid, they found a bone-eating “zombie-worm,” new snails and clams that live around hydrothermal vents, and a new species of carnivorous sponge, depicted above.
Part of the Cladorhizidae family of deep-sea sponges, this creature hunts by grasping passing prey with its external hooks, then drawing it in and devouring it. Its strange spherical shape makes it look like some kind of bubbly alien creature, but as odd as its shape and aesthetic are, both are rather typical of this type of sponge. They are abundant in areas of the seafloor with little sunlight or feeding opportunities, especially when filter feeding wouldn’t yield enough energy.
To efficiently process their unique images and samples, this team brought marine experts on board the vessel. This is far faster than sending samples off to labs around the world, simplifying the logistics of recovery and testing while allowing the general public to receive the results far sooner.
Even then, though, they’ve only gotten through roughly 30% of their samples so far. What other discoveries and insights might be waiting in the wings?