These alien-looking creatures were discovered by America’s Ocean Exploration Team on the seafloor near Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. The Puerto Rico Trench is deepest trench in the Atlantic Ocean, reaching depths of up to 8,800 m and extending for over 800 km.
“It’s pretty amazing that we haven’t been there yet, exploring really deep depths,” Andrea Quattrini, the science co-lead for the expedition, told Quartz. 95 percent of the ocean remains unexplored.
Many of the these deep-sea dwelling animals are rarely seen, and some creatures were so new that they don’t even have a name. 100 species of fish, 50 species of deep-water corals, and hundreds of other invertebrates were recorded over 12 dives.