A team of scientists from China has discovered strange new life forms deep in the northwest Pacific Ocean.
Using a special underwater vehicle called a submersible, they explored ocean trenches more than 9,500 meters below the surface.
The submersible used for the dive is called Fendouzhe. It can carry three people and reach depths over 10,000 meters, staying underwater for hours.
This incredible journey took them into total darkness, where sunlight never reaches. There, they found surprising creatures living in one of Earth’s most extreme environments. These included tube worms, mats of icy-looking bacteria, and large beds of clams.
Instead of using sunlight to survive like most living things, these deep-sea animals get energy from chemicals such as methane and hydrogen sulphide that leak from cracks in the ocean floor. This process is called chemosynthesis.
Before this mission, the deepest sea creature ever recorded lived at 8,336 meters. But the scientists on this trip went deeper and found even more life than anyone expected.
Dr. Xiaotong Peng, one of the lead scientists, said it was exciting to explore places no human had ever seen before. “What we saw was quite amazing”.
Experts believe there may be entire ecosystems surviving with the help of methane gas. This discovery challenges past beliefs that life could not survive in such deep, dark, and high-pressure places.
