At 16,404 feet, tentacles on a tusked marine animal stunned scientists. Turns out, it was...

A team of scientists got together to identify 14 new marine creatures and came across something they had never seen before. During the analysis, they found a tusk shell, or tooth shell, giving a ride to a sea anemone 5,000 metres (16,404 feet) below the surface. This is the first time they have observed anything like this has been observed in the mollusc genus Laevidentalium. A tusk shell is a type of marine mollusc that uses a long, tapering outer structure to protect itself. Scientists say a sea anemone is hitching a ride on the anterior (concave) side of the tusk shell, BBC Wildlife reported. The discovery was published in the Biodiversity Data Journal. Besides the tusk shell and the sea anemone, scientists also identified 13 other marine worms, molluscs and crustaceans from across the world.

The researchers were analysing a large group of marine species as part of the Ocean Species Discoveries project, which aims to officially identify a new species in a shorter time span. One of the discoveries includes a new species of mollusc known as Veleropilina gretchenae that lives at a depth of 6,465 metres (21,210 feet). The creature inhabits the Aleutian Trench, a deep canyon inside the ocean along the southern coastline of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. However, the most weird creature was found in the Australian intertidal zone with the female's back covered with weird protrusions that resembled popcorn. It was identified as a species of parasitic isopod (Zeaione everta). Also Read: 26 dead orcas wash ashore in Argentina as scientists struggle to pinpoint what killed them

Other marine discoveries made by the team

Another discovery includes a new species of carnivorous bivalve (Myonera aleutiana) at a depth of between 5,170–5,280 metres. They studied the creature in detail using a non-invasive micro-CT scanning technique. Over 2,000 detailed images of the bivalve's internal tissues and soft-body parts were captured, only the second time in history. In the Galápagos Rift hydrothermal vent in the Pacific Ocean, they found a shrimp-like crustacean at a depth of 2,602 metres. It was identified as a new species of amphipod.