Secrets of the ocean: Decade-long 'sea census' uncovers 6,000 new species of marine creature

A hydrothermal vent snail found in Suiyo Seamount at the Tokyo Hydrothermal Vent

A hairy-clawed 'yeti crab' is seen in this picture taken in 2006

A leafy Seadragon, Phycodurus eques, which is camouflaged to resemble a piece of drifting seaweed

A 'riot of species' has been uncovered in the world's oceans by the most comprehensive survey ever conducted of life in the seas, scientists announced today.

But the decade-long Census of Marine Life, the first global attempt to map the wildlife of the oceans, showed many species - from turtles to seabirds and sharks - were in decline in the face of human activity.

Dr Ian Poiner, chairman of the project's scientific steering committee said that, from the Poles to tropical waters and the deep sea, there was an abundance of life.

Many discoveries had been made of new life, with around 6,000 potential new species found by the project and the overall estimate of known marine species increasing from 230,000 to nearly 250,000. ...

via Secrets of the ocean: Decade-long 'sea census' uncovers 6,000 new species of marine creature | Mail Online.