'WHairy-chested crabs and monstrous slugs are among the six new species of marine animals found living near the hydrothermal vents beneath the Indian Ocean.
Researchers stumbled upon this underwater treasure trove while surveying an area the size of a football stadium on the sea floor – 1.7 miles below the surface.
Using remotely operated vehicles, the team found a new species of 'Hoff' crab, two new snails, a previously unknown limpet and two new species of we can be certain that the new species we've found also live elsewhere in the southwest Indian Ocean, as they will have migrated here from other sites, but at the moment no-one really knows where, or how well-connected their populations are with those at Longqi,' said Dr Copley, the head of the research team at the University of Southampton.
'Our results highlight the need to explore other hydrothermal vents in the southwest Indian Ocean and investigate the connectivity of their populations, before any impacts from mineral exploration activities and future deep-sea mining can be assessed.'
The hydrothermal vents sit 1,243 miles southeast of Madagascar and is known as the Lonqui vents, or 'Dragon Breath'.
For a majority of these species, this is the first time they have been seen by humans and researchers believe these creates only thrive in the Longqi vents.
'Since the first investigations of hydrothermal vents in the eastern Pacific in
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4039030/From-hairy-chested-crabs-monstrous-slugs-Scientists-discover-six-new-species-marine-animals-hiding-beneath-Indian-Ocean.html#ixzz4SSjJgp1n
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