“Guitar shark” and snail with venomous “harpoons” among 866 new marine species discovered in ocean

Over 800 marine species were newly discovered after two years of collaborative efforts by scientists, governments, museums and others participating in the Ocean Census, a global alliance founded to accelerate the discovery of marine life.

New species of shark, sea butterfly, mud dragon, bamboo coral, water bear, octocoral, and shrimp were just some of the findings that were registered in a directory after the collaborative conducted 10 global expeditions and hosted eight Species Discovery Workshops. 

“The past two years have been transformative for the Ocean Census: we’ve pioneered new methods, forged key partnerships, established a global network of participating scientists, and overcome the hurdles of a truly global mission,” said Oliver Steeds, director of the Ocean Census, in a statement. 

While oceans cover most of our planet, not much has been done to protect its biodiversity, manage the conservation of ocean life and establish marine protected areas in the high seas. United Nations members agreed on a unified treaty in 2023 to protect biodiversity in the high seas. More than 100 nations, including the United States, have agreed to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.

“The ocean covers 71% of our planet, yet it is said that only around 10% of marine life has been discovered so far,” Dr. Michelle Taylor, principal investigator for Ocean Census, said.

The alliance was founded by Nippon Foundation and Nekton in April 2023; about 400 institutions participate in its activities, and 93 scientists were funded to participate in expeditions and research projects in an effort to speed up the identification and official registration of a new species, the Ocean Census said on its website. The process can take up to 13.5 years, some species may go extinct before they are even documented.

Dave Ebert of the Pacific Shark Research Institute said in a video that knowing we have another new species, “We can develop conservation methods for it – if it needs it.”

The recent flurry of expeditions launched by the Ocean Census used divers, submersibles and deep-sea robots up to 5000 meters below sea level to discover new species. The species were analyzed and confirmed in dozens of global laboratories.

Some of the species discovered include:

Guitar Shark

Ebert, also known as the “Lost Shark Guy,” identified the guitar shark at 200m depths off Mozambique and Tanzania in Africa. This shark has 38 known species across the globe and shares characteristics of both sharks and rays. The guitar shark family is among the top 10 most threatened vertebrate groups and two-thirds are threatened. 

Turridrupa sp Gastropod

Discovered 380 – 400m in the waters of New Caledonia and Vanuatu, in the South Pacific, this predator is one of 100 newly identified turrid gastropods. These deep-sea snails inject toxins into their prey with precision with venomous, harpoon-like teeth.

Sea Star: Tylaster sp.

Found at 2770m to 3575m in the Arctic’s Jøtul Vent Field, east of Greenland, this is the second species recorded for this genus, with the first one cited in the Norwegian Sea at 1100 m back in 1881.