Marine scientists have weighed in on the identity of the strange golden object lifted from the ocean floor off the coast of Alaska.
The shiny object is delicate to the touch, like skin tissue, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
They could be eggshells or the remains of a sea sponge, but DNA testing in the lab could reveal a whole new animal completely unknown to science.
NOAA experts compared it to something “out of a horror movie” in reference to a scene from “Alien” where John Hurt’s character discovers the “facehugger” on another planet.
Dr Tammy Horton of the National Oceanographic Center in Southampton could not say what it was, but agreed it was “potentially a new species”.
NOAA deployed a remote-controlled arm to “tickle” the object and remove it from its rock. He was then sucked out using a tube to bring him back to shore.
“It’s not uncommon to find unknowns in the deep sea – we have a lot to explore,” she told MailOnline.
“They have a sample and will be able to study it more closely and will probably do some genetic testing to at least figure out what kind of animal it came from.”
Notably, the object was found with a gaping hole in the front, suggesting that something was born from it.
“It could indeed be some kind of egg crate (explaining the ‘exit’ hole),” Dr Horton said.
Dr Lucy Woodall, associate professor of marine conservation at the University of Exeter, agreed that it looks like a sponge – an immobile aquatic invertebrate much like coral.
“The hole is likely just damage sustained over time, but again it could provide whole new insight into how deep-sea life survives and thrives,” she said. at MailOnline.
“But the seabed is full of wonders that we have only just discovered.
“I look forward to learning more from the taxonomists who will be working on the collected specimen.”
Kerry Howell, professor of deep-sea ecology at Plymouth University, said the object was “weird” and unlike anything she had encountered.
“In my 20 years of exploring the seabed, I’ve seen nothing like it,” she told MailOnline.
“It’s always exciting to see new things and I’ll be looking forward to the sample analysis to figure out what it really is.
An egg, the remains of a sponge or something else? The mysterious golden object with a hole in it was discovered on the seabed off the coast of Alaska.
They could be eggs or the remains of a sea sponge, but DNA testing in the lab could reveal a whole new animal completely unknown to science.
The shiny object is delicate to the touch, like skin tissue, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
“There are many undiscovered species in deep waters, so it could easily be linked to a new species.”
Prof Howell also said the hole could be where the creature inhales and exhales if it’s a sponge, or where the animal hatched from if it’s a sponge. an egg casing.
Dr Pierre Josso, a postdoctoral researcher at the British Geological Survey, said the object was “intriguing, but not really surprising”.
‘We discover new biological structures or species during most dives because the seabed has rarely been explored,’ he told MailOnline.
“New species – or remnants of developmental stages of known and unknown species – have been cataloged at an increasing rate over the past decade, as the depths of the ocean are explored with greater care than ever.
“As for its origin, its function and the reason for a hole in its structure, it is too early to tell.”
Although the ‘golden’ appearance was eye-catching, it was mainly due to the glare from the headlights of the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that pulled it off its rock, Dr Josso added.
A later photo of the object in the lab after it was brought to earth shows it to have a light yellowish-brown color, “close to many other organic hues”, he said.
Knowing that up to two-thirds of life living in the depths of the oceans is unknown to science, this could mark an exciting new discovery.
NOAA experts compared something ‘out of a horror movie’ in reference to a scene from Ridley Scott’s ‘Alien’ (1979) where John Hurt’s character discovers the ‘facehugger’ on another planet (pictured )
Murray Roberts, professor of marine biology at the University of Edinburgh, agrees with NOAA scientists that it could be an egg.
“Several species, including vulnerable deep-sea fish like sharks and rays, lay their eggs on seamounts or in cold-water coral habitats,” he told MailOnline.
“Hence the hole – something hatched and swam away.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for London’s Natural History Museum said: ‘Our experts have said that there are many new species of benthic sponges from the deep sea.
The golden egg was discovered on day eight of NOAA’s Seascape Alaska 5 Expedition, which runs from August 23 to September 16.
Any fans wishing to witness equally remarkable discoveries can follow the progress of the mission on a dedicated webpage on the NOAA website.
From tulip-shaped sea sponges to ‘gummy squirrels’: Natural History Museum scientists discover 39 potential new species living on the ocean floor
Scientists have discovered 39 species “potentially new to science”, exploring up to 16,700 feet (5,100 meters) underwater.
A robot has been sent to the abyssal plains of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the central Pacific Ocean – one of the least explored regions in the world – to collect specimens of deep-sea creatures.
Researchers at the Natural History Museum in London have recovered 39 new species of megafauna along with nine known species.
Gummy squirrel, or Psychoropotes longicauda, at 5,100 m depth on abyssal sediments in the Western CCZ. This animal is about 60 cm long (including tail), with red food palps (or “lips”) visibly extending from its anterior (right) end.
Among those found were spindly starfish, tulip-shaped sea sponges, spiny sea urchins and “gummy squirrel” sea cucumbers.
The gummy squirrel gets its name from its erect tail that lifts behind it as it moves through the water.
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