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Scientists find new deep sea species in seas off Java

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image sourceSJADES 2018
image captionScientists from Singapore and Indonesia discovered more than a dozen new species -including this small orange crab - in a study of previously unexplored deep seas around the Indonesian island of Java
image sourceSJADES 2018
image captionThe team of 31 researchers and staff of the South Java Deep Sea Biodiversity Expedition (SJADES) collected more than 12,000 creatures during their expedition - including this as-yet unnamed crab is another new species found
image sourceSJADES 2018
image captionOff south-western Java, the team also discovered this "clinger" species of crab, with several found hanging onto sea lilies
image sourceSJADES 2018
image captionIn total, 800 different species of prawns, fish, sponges and molluscs were pulled up from the deep seas, including this 6cm (2.3in) ice cream cone worm.
image sourceSJADES 2018
image captionThe team set sail from Jakarta in late March, dredging up creatures like this sea cucumber - which can swim from place to place using the protrusions behind its mouth.
image sourceSJADES 2018
image captionInitially slowed by a stormy start, thanks to the after-effects of Cyclone Marcus, they also found animals like this cock-eyed squid, which has one eye larger than the other...
image sourceSJADES 2018
image caption...Thaumastocheles Massonktenos, nicknamed the chain-saw lobster, a blind deep-sea creature...
image sourceSJADES 2018
image caption...and this sea sponge, commonly named the Sea Tulip, which is anchored to the sea bed by long fibres.
image sourceSJADES 2018
image captionResearchers also pulled this octopus up from the depths, nicknamed the Dumbo Octopus after the Disney elephant.
image sourceSJADES 2018
image caption"It has been singularly exciting," says Professor Peter Ng of the National University of Singapore. Fellow researcher Professor Dwi Listyo Rahayu of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences called the new finds like this crab "overwhelming" - with hopes of more discoveries in the second half of the expedition.

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