Scientists boarded a submarine and plunged into the deep waters of the South China Sea. Thousands of feet below the surface, they encountered a “large” creature with a backbone. It turned out to be a new species. Researchers explored the South China Sea in March 2021 through a series of dives. Using a manned submersible, according to the study published in the zoological journal Raffles Bulletin on May 3.
During one of these dives, the researchers discovered a “large” crab on top of the coral and captured it. The study said Once back on land, they took a closer look at the deep-sea animal. And realized they had discovered a new species. Gordonopsis mazupo, or mazu carrier crab. The Mazu transport crab is “large” and has “extremely long” legs with “blade-like” claws, the study said. Co-author Peter Ng told McClatchy News that the crab’s body was about 1.2 inches long. And its legs were more than 3.5 inches long. The total diameter of this animal covered with vertebrae exceeds 20 centimeters.
More New Species Discovered
Thousands of new species are discovered every year. Here are three articles from last week that stood out to me. Researchers said they named the new species “after Mazu, the Chinese goddess or grandmother of the sea. ” So far, only one Mazu crab has been discovered in a bamboo coral about 800 feet below the surface of the South China Sea. The South China Sea is a disputed area of Southeast Asia bordering Brunei, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The new species was identified based on its legs, spine, body shape, size, and other subtle physical characteristics, the study said. The researchers did not publish a DNA analysis of the new species.
