Our planet’s ocean holds a myriad of marine ecosystems which many remain unexplored. As such, it is no surprise that scientists are able to find new species of marine animals every so often. Among one of the most recently discovered species is the ruby seadragon which was even captured on video for the first time.
Until now, scientists have discovered a total of three species of seadragons, the Common, Leafy and the Ruby seadragon. However, the first two species are quite well documented and were observed in their natural system plenty of times, the ruby seadragon proved more elusive.
Researchers from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California at San Diego, in collaboration with scientists from the Western Australian Museum have conducted a scientific expedition to film the mysterious animals in the wild, just off the coast of Western Australia.
The research team used a small remotely operated vehicle, equipped with a camera, to explore the waters at around 164-feet deep. It was only several days of exploring that the researchers were able to capture the first sightings of the mysterious species in the wild. They filmed two Ruby Seadragons near the Recherche Archipelago of Western Australia, and the scientists have new information regarding their habitat, behavior, and anatomy.
The captured seadragons lead to the conclusion that the Ruby Seadragon lacks the ornate appendages which are similar to leafs. They once thought that this characteristic was found among all seadragons, based on the findings in the previously analyzed Common and Leafy subspecies. They use the appendages to camouflage in seaweed or kelp meadows as a way to avoid predators.
Scientists became aware of the Ruby seadragon subspecies due to preserved specimens that were collected around a hundred years ago. Although the remains were initially misidentified as belonging to the Common or Leafy Seadragons, the researchers were able to discern that it’s a new subspecies as they assembled a rotating 3D model of the animals using a computer tomography scan from more than 5,000 X-ray slices. They were particularly intrigued by the lack of the leafy appendages.
However, the only way to confirm the existence of the Ruby Seadragon was to actually observe in the wild. The research team accomplished their objective by partnering with Total Marine Technology, ROV company based in Australia.
Image source: Scripps Oceanography/UC San Diego
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