THE SEA
NEW SPECIES
· Sponges house the
first crustacean society
Insects are well known for living in colonies whose members have different functions. In June 1996, however, marine biologists revealed the existence of the first-known social crustacean, a shrimp called Synalpheus regalls, whose colonies each contain non-breeding workers and a fertile queen. They occur inside living sponges on the coral reef off Belize in Central America.
· Washed-ashore skull could
belong to rhinoceros dolphin
As recently as 1996, a totally new species of beaked whale, Mesoplodon bahamondi, was scientifically documented for the first time, based upon a skull washed ashore on Chile’s Robinson Crusoe Island. Judging from the skull’s dimensions, the complete animal might be as large as an elephant. Some excellent sightings have been reported of a bizarre type of spotted Pacific dolphin with a fin on top of its head, but no specimen of this ‘rhinoceros dolphin has so far been obtained.
· Giant squid could be
shy or simply non-existent
Although it is one of the world’s biggest animals, the southern giant squid. Architeuthis longimanus, is known only from dead specimens, including several found around New Zealand. In Feb 1996, marine biologist Dr Clyde Roper from the US National Museum in Washington led the first expedition seeking to film a living giant squid. They spent over two months searching the seas around South Island, which include such likely squid haunts as the 6,000-m deep Kaikoura Canyon.
OCEAN FINDS
· Seabed mining for precious
metals in the Bismarck Sea
Vast quantities metals have recently been discovered in shallow water in the Bismarck Sea just north of New Guinea, opening up seafloor mining operations in the future. Gold, silver, copper, and zinc were found in samples taken by an international team of geologists investigating how metal ores are formed on the seafloor in the Manus Basin.
· A natural explanation
for the Bermuda Triangle
A natural explanation for the Bermuda Triangle mystery has been proposed by oceanographers from the international Ocean Drilling Programme. They believe that, if ships are indeed disappearing mysteriously in this stretch of water, it might be due to sudden, massive releases of giant methane gas bubbles, which are normally maintained in a frozen state on the seafloor and which could overwhelm a vassal on the surface, causing it to sink.
· Dinosaur asteroid
remains found on ocean floor
Some scientists believe that the dinosaurs were killed off 65 million years ago by the impact of a colossal asteroid from space and now evidence for this theory has been unearthed on the Atlantic Ocean’s floor.
