Recently, off the coast of Antarctica, scientists have captured a peculiar sea creature. As reported by the Daily Mail, this creature possesses a unique strawberry-like body shape and boasts 20 limbs.
Scientists consider this to be a rarity, as such a morphology is nearly unparalleled in the realm of marine organisms.
The discovery of this extraordinary creature predates the onset of the global coronavirus pandemic. During that time, researchers were focused on studying the Promachocrinus group of marine animals, also known as Antarctic feathered stars.
Nevertheless, this new revelation has added an additional layer of mystery to an already intricate understanding of Antarctic biology.
It is noteworthy that over the span of several years, scientists have identified and described eight distinct species of sea creatures that inhabit Antarctic waters at depths ranging from 19 meters to two kilometers.
Four of these species turned out to be so distinct from known organisms that classifying them became a true enigma for scientists.
It was through the dedicated efforts of experts who conducted DNA analyses and studied the physical morphology of the discovered creatures that part of this mystery began to unravel.
The newly identified species has been named Promachocrinus kerguelensis. Alongside its unconventional limbs, a distinguishing feature of this species is its array of colors.
The shades exhibited by these possessors of twenty flexible limbs can span from purple to deep red, crafting a breathtaking spectacle in the underwater world.
