As the Antartic ice shelves collapse, new species are being discovered, like this psychedelic octopus. My favorite is the discovery of a new species called Shackletonia. As a Shackleton buff it seems a bit of a shame to name a small crustacean after him. Excerpt below:
Several strange creatures including a psychedelic octopus have been found in frigid waters off Antarctica in one of the world’s most pristine marine environments.
Others resembled corals and shrimps. At least 30
appear to be new to science, said Julian Gutt, chief scientist of an
expedition that was part of the International Polar Year research
effort set to launch on March 1. The researchers catalogued about 1,000
species in an area of the Antarctic seabed where warming temperatures
are believed to have caused the collapse of overlying ice shelves,
affecting the marine life below.“This is virgin geography,” said expedition member
Gauthier Chapelle. “If we don’t find out what this area is like now
following the collapse of the ice shelf, and what species are there, we won’t have any basis to know in 20 years’ time what has changed and how global warming has altered the marine ecosystem.”
