The strange and lesser-known world of oceans has always remained a place of mystery for scientists. Now, a newfound collection of rarely-seen and alien-looking species&nbsp;lurking on the seafloor, has left the scientists dumbfounded.

The marine scientists, who were researching the Clarion-Clipperton Zone&nbsp;of the Pacific Ocean between Mexico and Hawaii,&nbsp;found marine animals&nbsp;which were never seen before.&nbsp;

These creatures have been living a very different and unknown life which was covered by the permanent darkness of the abyssopelagic.

"These areas are the Earth's least explored. It's estimated that only one out of ten animal species living down here has been described by science,"&nbsp;said marine ecologist Thomas Dahlgren&nbsp;of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, as reported by Science Alert.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/unusual-slow-spinning-radio-signal-from-space-breaks-all-rules-astronomers-puzzled-729614">Scientists hunting for origin of radio signal from deep space that flashes for an hour</a>

"This is one of the very few cases where researchers can be involved in discovering new species and ecosystems in the same way as they did in the 18th century. It's very exciting," the ecologist added.

The creatures were spotted by the scientists after a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was sent in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone between 3,500 and 5,500 meters (11,480 and 18,045 feet) by the UK National Oceanography Centre's Seabed Mining And Resilience To EXperimental impact (SMARTEX) mission.

<h2>How the organisms are surviving on the abyssal seafloor?</h2>

Most of the organisms surviving on the abyssal seafloor depend on organic matter which rains down from the higher ocean strata for food. This phenomenon is called marine snow.

In this research, a major spectacular discovery was a transparent sea cucumber which had the nickname 'unicumber' and belonged to the family&nbsp;Elpidiidae.

"These sea cucumbers were some of the largest animals found on this expedition,"&nbsp;explained Dahlgren.&nbsp;

"They act as ocean floor vacuum cleaners, and specialize in finding sediment that has passed through the least number of stomachs," he added.

Watch: Scientists unveil Black Hole's plunge, bizarre region around black holes found

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/scientists-unveil-black-holes-plunge-bizarre-region-around-black-holes-found-722629/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Other creatures found were a delicate glass sponge, a cup-shaped filter&nbsp;feeder, a&nbsp;tanaid crustacean, sea stars, corals, and anemones, as well as a spectacular Barbie-pink sea pig.

The researchers explored that part of the area of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone which is used for deep-sea mining and will have a devastating impact on marine habitats.

"The lack of food causes individuals to live far apart, but the species richness in the area is surprisingly high. We see many exciting specialised adaptations among the animals in these areas,"&nbsp;Dahlgren said.

"We need to know more about this environment to be able to protect the species living here. Today, 30 per cent of these marine areas in consideration are protected, and we need to know whether this is enough to ensure that these species aren't at risk of extinction," he added.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

The strange and lesser-known world of oceans has always remained a place of mystery for scientists. Now, a newfound collection of rarely-seen and alien-looking species lurking on the seafloor, has left the scientists dumbfounded.

The strange and lesser-known world of oceans has always remained a place of mystery for scientists. Now, a newfound collection of rarely-seen and alien-looking species lurking on the seafloor, has left the scientists dumbfounded. The marine scientists, who were researching the Clarion-Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean between Mexico and Hawaii, found marine animals which were never seen before. These creatures have been living a very different and unknown life which was covered by the permanent darkness of the abyssopelagic. "These areas are the Earth's least explored. It's estimated that only one out of ten animal species living down here has been described by science," said marine ecologist Thomas Dahlgren of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, as reported by Science Alert. Also Read: Scientists hunting for origin of radio signal from deep space that flashes for an hour "This is one of the very few cases where researchers can be involved in discovering new species and ecosystems in the same way as they did in the 18th century. It's very exciting," the ecologist added. The creatures were spotted by the scientists after a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was sent in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone between 3,500 and 5,500 meters (11,480 and 18,045 feet) by the UK National Oceanography Centre's Seabed Mining And Resilience To EXperimental impact (SMARTEX) mission. How the organisms are surviving on the abyssal seafloor? Most of the organisms surviving on the abyssal seafloor depend on organic matter which rains down from the higher ocean strata for food. This phenomenon is called marine snow. In this research, a major spectacular discovery was a transparent sea cucumber which had the nickname 'unicumber' and belonged to the family Elpidiidae. "These sea cucumbers were some of the largest animals found on this expedition," explained Dahlgren. "They act as ocean floor vacuum cleaners, and specialize in finding sediment that has passed through the least number of stomachs," he added. Watch: Scientists unveil Black Hole's plunge, bizarre region around black holes found Other creatures found were a delicate glass sponge, a cup-shaped filter feeder, a tanaid crustacean, sea stars, corals, and anemones, as well as a spectacular Barbie-pink sea pig. The researchers explored that part of the area of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone which is used for deep-sea mining and will have a devastating impact on marine habitats. "The lack of food causes individuals to live far apart, but the species richness in the area is surprisingly high. We see many exciting specialised adaptations among the animals in these areas," Dahlgren said. "We need to know more about this environment to be able to protect the species living here. Today, 30 per cent of these marine areas in consideration are protected, and we need to know whether this is enough to ensure that these species aren't at risk of extinction," he added. (With inputs from agencies)

Scientists for first time spot alien-type creatures living in darkest depths of our ocean

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