Ocean Census Discovers 866 New Marine Species, Including Pygmy Pipehorse

Rahul Somvanshi

Scientists from the Ocean Census project have identified 866 new marine species in less than two years since the initiative's launch.

Photo Source: Francesco Ungaro (Pexels)

The discovery marks the first phase of an ambitious goal to document 100,000 new ocean species, with an estimated 1-2 million marine species still undocumented.

Photo Source: Francesco Ungaro (Pexels)

A remarkable pygmy pipehorse, just 4 centimeters long and a master of camouflage, was found off South Africa's coast—the first of its genus discovered in Africa.

Photo Source: Nhobgood (CC BY-SA 3.0)

In the extreme depths of Norway's Arctic Ocean, researchers discovered a new deep-sea limpet living 3,000 meters down where pressure is 300 times greater than at the surface.

Photo Source: Francesco Ungaro (Pexels)

Scientists identified a new species of critically endangered guitar shark off the coasts of Mozambique and Tanzania, despite its name actually being a type of ray.

Photo Source: Green Connection (CC BY 3.0)

Additional discoveries include novel species of sea butterfly, mud dragon, bamboo coral, water bear, and brittle stars, all registered with the project's biodiversity platform.

Photo Source: NOAA Ocean Exploration (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Researchers utilized advanced technologies including DNA sequencing, high-resolution imaging, and machine learning to accelerate the species identification process.

Photo Source: Matt Waters (Pexels)

"There has never been a better time to be a marine biologist," noted Oliver Steeds, Ocean Census director, highlighting how modern technologies enable unprecedented marine discovery.

Photo Source: Harvey Clements (Pexels)

The Ocean Census initiative is jointly sponsored by The Nippon Foundation and UK-based nonprofit Nekton, with The Nippon Foundation also involved in deep-sea mining research.

Photo Source: Adiprayogo Liemena (Pexels)

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