A deep-sea cucumber known as a “headless chicken monster” has been filmed in the Southern Ocean for the first time, using camera technology developed by Australian researchers.
The creature was filmed off east Antarctica and it’s the first time the species has been seen in the area.
“Some of the footage we are getting back from the cameras is breathtaking, including species we have never seen in this part of the world,” Australian Antarctic Division Program leader Dr. Dirk Welsford said.
The creature, Enypniastes eximia, had only been seen in the Gulf of Mexico previously. It was captured in the Southern Ocean by cameras developed by the Australian Antarctic Division.
“The housing that protects the camera and electronics is designed to attach to toothfish longlines in the Southern Ocean, so it needs to be extremely durable,” Dr. Welsford said.
