KSLA News 12 Shreveport, Louisiana |Study: Scavengers big and small dwell in deep sea
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Associated Press - November 22, 2009 12:14 PM ET
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A team of international scientists says thousands of creatures survive the ocean's pitch-black depths by feeding on decaying matter and even sunken whale bones.
The deep-sea findings were released Sunday in the latest update to a 10-year census of marine life. More than 2,000 scientists from 80 countries are working to document the oceans' species.
Researchers say they have recorded 17,650 species living below 656 feet, the point where sunlight ceases to reach. They say they've found 5,722 species living in the extreme depths, waters deeper than 3,280 feet.
Some of the creatures are as weird and outlandish as the creations in a Dr. Seuss book: tentacled, transparent sea cucumbers; primitive "dumbos" that flap ear-like fins; and tubeworms that feed on oil deposits.
On The Web:
Census of Marine Life: http://www.coml.org/
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