Deep-Sea ‘Headless Chicken Monster’ Spotted Off Antarctic Coast

Cameras captured a deep-sea swimming sea cucumber, also known as the “headless chicken monster,” for the first time near Antarctica, researchers said.

The underwater cameras, utilizing new technology, spotted the species in the Southern Ocean off of East Antarctica. Previously, the unusual creature had only been filmed in the Gulf of Mexico in 2017.

“Some of the footage we are getting back from the cameras is breathtaking, including species we have never seen in this part of the world,” said Australian Antarctic Division Program Leader Dr. Dirk Welsford in a press release.

The sea cucumber is known by its scientific name, Enypniastes eximia, but also by the names “headless chicken monster” and “Spanish dancer,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The sea cucumber feeds on sand and mud and can be up to a foot in length, according to the National Science Foundation. Unlike most sea cucumbers, it can swim.

“It is a graceful, if slow, swimmer, but can be found several hundred feet above the bottom. Through the transparent body wall, one can see the intestine and other internal organs. E. eximia has luminous organs on its skin, which may deter predators,” the foundation stated.

New Cameras

A strong, extremely durable housing protects the camera and electronics, enabling scientists to toss it from the side of a boat and use it deep down, despite extreme pressure in the pitch black areas of the ocean.

The super-strengthened cameras are starting to be used by a number of nations, including Chile, France, and the United Kingdom.

“The cameras are providing important information about areas of sea floor that can withstand this type of fishing, and sensitive areas that should be avoided,” Welsford said.

The research was to be presented at the 37th annual Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) meeting in Hobart.

The swimming sea cucumber, also known as the "headless chicken monster." Australian Antarctic Division

Marine Protected Area

Australian officials were planning to gain support for a proposed East Antarctic Marine Protected Area, which would extend conservation protections in the high latitudes of the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean.

“The area contains distinctive deep-water flora and fauna and supports important ecosystem roles, such as feeding areas for marine mammals, penguins, and other seabirds,” the division said in a statement.

“The Southern Ocean is home to an incredible abundance and variety of marine life, including commercially sought-after species, the harvesting of which must be carefully managed for future generations,” added Australia’s CCAMLR Commissioner Gillian Slocum.

From NTD.tv