Pregnant deep-sea creature — red, with yellow eyes — found in Pacific. See new species

In the depths of the ocean, underwater mountains tower over the seafloor in a string of isolated islands.

Called seamounts, the protruding geological features are covered with a diversity of life seldom seen in other parts of the sea.

Hoping to explore these ecosystems, a group of researchers from China enlisted the help of an underwater robot and set off to the northwestern Pacific Ocean, according to a study published May 23 in the journal Zoosystematics and Evolution.

As the team neared the Caroline Plate, a segment of the Earth’s crust off the coast of the Philippines, the robot was deployed and it collected tiny creatures from the seamount.

One of those creatures was an amphipod, just a few millimeters long — and she was pregnant.

The new species, Eusirus carolinus, has a red body with yellow eyes, “deep red” claws and a “pale red” tail, according to the study.

The eyes are “large” and “well-pigmented,” the researchers said, helping the creature to stand out from other known species.

Inside her one-half-inch-long body, nine “intra-marsupial individuals,” or babies, were discovered, according to the study.

The specimen was discovered at a depth of between 1,700 and 2,800 feet, researchers said.

A second “rare” species, Meteusiroides keyensis, was also rediscovered during the expedition, according to the study.

The deep-sea species is a pale red color with “deep red eyes” and a transparent body, researchers said.

It has not been described since 1934, according to the study.

Amphipods are tiny invertebrates that can appear in both saltwater and freshwater, according to Britannica, and they are an important food for a variety of fish, birds, marine mammals and other invertebrates.

They are typically smaller than five inches long and come in red, pink, yellow, green or blue, Britannica says. They use their many legs to aid in strong swimming and in some cases jumping.

This story was originally published May 28, 2024 at 12:14 PM with the headline "Pregnant deep-sea creature — red, with yellow eyes — found in Pacific. See new species."

Irene Wright

McClatchy DC

Irene Wright is a McClatchy Real-Time reporter. She earned a B.A. in ecology and an M.A. in health and medical journalism from the University of Georgia and is now based in Atlanta. Irene previously worked as a business reporter at The Dallas Morning News.