Scientists Discover New Deep-Sea Predator, Name It 'Darkness' [View all]

Earth's oceanic trenches are still shrouded in mystery, and for good reason. Plunging as deep as 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) beneath the surface, their dark, frigid waters are under mind-boggling pressure – up to 1,088 atmospheres (or 16,000 pounds per square inch).

Yet despite the harsh conditions, strange creatures somehow thrive down there. And after decades of struggling to study them, scientists are finally beginning to shed light on ocean trenches and their inhabitants.

In a new study, researchers from the US and Chile unveil one such species: a fast, ghostly predator from the Atacama Trench off South America's western coast, who stands apart from many trench dwellers.

Named Dulcibella camanchaca, the creature is an amphipod – a diverse group of shrimp-like crustaceans that typically eat detritus or scavenge for food in marine or freshwater habitats. The researchers found four individuals from this species at a depth of 7,902 meters.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/scientists-discover-deep-sea-predator-061352277.html