New Species Discovered This Halloween: Carnivorous 'Death-Ball' Sponge And Rare 'Zombie Worms' Spotted Among 30 New Species
New Species Discovered This Halloween: Carnivorous 'Death-Ball' Sponge And Rare 'Zombie Worms' Spotted Among 30 New Species
New Species Discovered This Halloween: Carnivorous 'Death-Ball' Sponge And Rare 'Zombie Worms' Spotted Among 30 New Species Thirty previously unknown deep-sea species — including a carnivorous “death-ball” sponge — have been confirmed in the depths of one of the most remote regions on the planet, thanks to new research from The Nippon Foundation–Nekton Ocean Census and its collaborators. These discoveries, published on October 29, stem from two 2025 research cruises conducted with the Schmidt Ocean Institute and were verified during the Southern Ocean Species Discovery Workshop, hosted by Universidad de Magallanes in Punta Arenas, Chile, in August. The leading discovery of the predatory “death-ball” sponge was particularly exciting to marine scientists. Unlike most sponges that feed passively by filtering water, this species uses minuscule hooks across its spherical body to ensnare its prey. “Advanced tools — from precise seafloor mapping to high-definition ROV imagery —…