Australian scientists photograph new deep sea species

CANBERRA - Researchers from Australia's national science agency have used specialized cameras to capture the first images of new deep sea creatures.

Flying sea cucumbers, glowing spiny sea urchins and giant crabs are among the new species photographed for the first time in the country by a team from the Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) conducting marine park surveys off Australia's west coast, local media reported on Thursday.

The scientists on board the research vessel (RV) Investigator used two specialized cameras to capture high-resolution videos and photos at the depth of up to 4,000 meters in the Gascoyne Marine Park.

The baited remote underwater video system (DeepBRUVS), which was designed by a CSIRO engineering and technology team, can run uninterrupted for 36 hours in one deployment, allowing the team to better understand marine species' behaviors.

John Keesing, the chief scientist on the voyage, said the new images would help support better management of the marine park.

"We've found things that have only ever been recorded before in other countries, and we've seen species of lobsters and crabs that we have never caught in any of our sampling gear," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"There are at least three new species of shark and a large number of marine invertebrates that have never been seen before," Keesing said.

The first surveys of the previously unexplored Gascoyne and Carnarvon Canyon Marine Parks off the coast of Western Australia (WA) in the Indian Ocean were a joint venture between the CSIRO and Parks Australia, which manages 60 marine parks covering 39 percent of Australian waters, in a bid to better understand the complex ecosystems. - XINHUA