It may be an overused statistic, but it’s true: We know less about what lives and lurks in our oceans than we do about outer space. This year proved no exception to the rule, either. In the last year, researchers discovered long-lost shipwrecks, odd animals, and even a phenomenon known as “dark oxygen,” among many other finds.
‘Ghost Ship of the Pacific’ found using underwater drones
It only took a few hours for a team of 20-foot-long autonomous submersible drones to relocate the USS Stewart after 78 years spent at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. The “four-piper” destroyer ship was the only vessel captured by Japanese forces during World War II, and earned its “Ghost Ship” moniker after numerous Allied troops sighted it deep behind enemy lines. Although eventually returned to the US Navy and scuttled, its exact location remained a mystery for years. Now, however, we know the extremely well-preserved remains lay off the California coast in the Cordell Bank national marine sanctuary.
Shipwreck hunters find WWII-era merchant ship that sunk in Lake Superior
Although also dating back to the WWII era, the Arlington wasn’t involved in combat when it sank. The 244-foot bulk carrier was instead a merchant vessel sailing Lake Superior en route to Owen Sound, Ontario. Inclement weather, however, caused the ship to take on water in the early hours of May 1. While Captain Frederick “Tatey Bug” Burke insisted his crew stay the course, the sailors had other plans, and soon abandoned Burke to his—and his ship’s—ultimate fate. Like the USS Stewart, the Arlington was located using remote operating submersibles and sonar scans.
New, colorful starfish species found off the coast of Japan
There are around 2,000 cataloged starfish species in the world, but that list grew by at least one new variety in 2024. Discovered by researchers off the coast of Japan’s Izu Peninsula, Paragonaster hoeimaruae, is only the second starfish known to belong to the Pseudarchasteridae family. The strikingly orange sea creatures are especially adapted to live in muddy, sandy waters—an evolutionary trait researchers hope to learn more about in the coming years.
Grumpy-faced fish species found in Red Sea
Viktor Nunes Peinemann
While similarly as orange as Paragonaster hoeimaruae, Sueviota aethon arguably features a much more noticeable physical trait: the diminutive fish possesses a downturned mouth that makes it look permanently displeased. Its face seems so irritated that it even earned it the common name of the grumpy dwarfgoby. The roughly one inch long fish live among the coral reefs of the Red Sea’s Farasan Banks near Saudi Arabia. Even at that size, however, discoverers describe the grumpy dwarfgoby as a “fearsome predator” given its comparatively large canines used to capture and devour small invertebrates.
WWII submarine discovered 81 years after disappearing during secret mission
It took at least as many as 14 attempts over nearly 25 years, but researchers finally located the wreckage of the HMS Trooper in 2024. The WWII Allied submarine and its 64 crew members deployed on a secret mission near Greece in early October 1943, but never arrived in Beirut as originally scheduled. Researchers used both sonar and an ROV called “Super Achille” to identify Trooper’s whereabouts, as well as confirm its fatal run-in with a German mine. Trooper lays in three separate parts an estimated 830-feet-deep at the bottom of the Icarian Sea, near the Greek island of Donoussa.
World’s largest coral formation is longer than a blue whale
Photograph by Manu San Félix, National Geographic Pristine Seas
The biggest animal in the world may be the blue whale, but researchers in 2024 determined that the biggest intertwined community of animals is undoubtedly the recently discovered Pavona clavus coral colony. Measuring in at 111 feet wide, 104 feet long, 18 feet high, and 600 feet around, the standalone coral system formed in the southwest Pacific Ocean over the last 300 years, and can even be seen from space.
New ghost shark species found in New Zealand
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA)
Ghost sharks, also known as “spookfish,” technically aren’t sharks, but instead are a group of fish that are closely related to the ocean predators. One of the newest additions to the family this year was Harriotta avia, described as having an “elongated, narrow and depressed snout; long, slender trunk; large eyes; and very long, broad pectoral fins” as well as possessing “lovely chocolate brown color.” But don’t expect to encounter one in the open waters—Harriotta avia lives near New Zealand at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, roughly 8,350 feet below surface waters.
‘Dark oxygen’ on ocean floor may rewrite the origins of life
One of the wildest underwater discoveries of 2024 wasn’t a new species of life, but chemical processes that might rewrite our understanding of the origins of life itself. Earlier this year, researchers published findings related to polymetallic nodules—natural mineral deposits located on the pitch-black ocean floor. Despite lacking sunlight, however, evidence suggests these formations appear to function as “geobatteries” capable of generating trace amounts of oxygen that help sustain deep-sea life. If true, then the planet’s very first living organisms may have gotten their start in a place no one once thought could support life at all.
New jellyfish discovered near Japan may contain multitudes of venom
Like many other similar species, the newly found St. George’s cross medusa lives around 2,300 feet deep in the Pacific Ocean, and hunts bioluminescent prey with its many tentacles. Unlike its relatives, however, Santjordia pagesi packs an “arsenal of venoms” that differs from other known jellyfish. Unfortunately, it might take a little while before researchers start gleaning more information on the creature—it’s difficult to gather more specimens given the jellyfish lives in a deep-sea volcanic caldera about 285 miles south of Tokyo.
Researchers discover neurological mechanism controlling anglerfish lures
Anglerfish aren’t a new find for researchers, but biologists did confirm a surprising evolutionary feature in the odd-looking animals this year. Using tracer analysis, a team discovered the exact motor neurons that control one of the subspecies’ front dorsal fin lure. It appears the location of these motoneurons shifted during their evolution compared to their relatives, pointing to evolutionary implications that reach all the way to landwalking vertebrates.
Over 100 possible new ocean species found near Chile
The 1,800-mile-long Salas y Gómez Ridge near Chile is home to some wild creatures that look like they just arrived from an alien planet. Earlier this year, researchers used a remote operated submersible to survey the region and documented over 100 candidates for never-before-seen species. These included crustaceans, mollusks, fish, and even marine mammals. Biologists also glimpsed extremely rare animals, such as the whiplash squid.
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