Scientists researching previously unexplored deep-sea vents in Antarctica stumbled upon a host of new species, including hairy-chested crabs, ghostly octopus and predatory starfish, in what has since been dubbed a “lost world”.

Using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) the team from the University of Oxford, University of Southampton, the National Oceanography Centre, and the British Antarctic Survey caught glimpses of an array of new species, never seen before elsewhere.

“It was “almost like a sight from another planet,” said expedition leader Alex Rogers, a professor of zoology at Oxford University”.

The ROV was exploring the depths of East Scotia Ridge, an area covered with hydrothermal vents where temperatures can reach up to 400°C. Creatures living at these depths don’t rely on the sun for energy but rather on the heat produced by the vents.

Numerous discoveries have been made at deep-sea vents in others parts of the world, but never have researchers been able to explore in the harsh conditions of the Southern Ocean. Jon Copley, a professor of earth and ocean science at the University of Southampton, was part of the team who made the discovery and explained,

It’s only quite recently that we’ve been able to be bold enough, really, to head to the poles.

Among the discoveries were new species of yeti crab, seven-armed predatory starfish and ghost-pale octopus,

We were completely blown away by what we found,” Copley said. “I’ve worked at vents in the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Indian Ocean, but these are the lushest, richest vents, in terms of life, that I’ve come across.

The host of new species wasn’t the only unexpected discovery made on the expedition, as researchers were just as surprised that they did not find any tube-worms, mussels and shrimp usually found at such vents. Instead, they found new species of barnacles and anemones, as well as a large brown spiral-shelled snail roaming the area.

All their findings were published in the Journal of PLoS Biology on Tuesday and researchers will continue to try and unravel the complexities of the Antarctic vents.

[Source: Live Science, PLoS Biology]