Scientists captured a rare deep-sea inhabitant near Antarctica

Researchers have captured unique footage of an extremely rare deep-sea inhabitant - a colossal sea spider comparable in size to a dinner plate. The amazing creature was spotted crawling along the seafloor near the South Sandwich Islands - a volcanic archipelago located near Antarctica and considered one of the most inaccessible places on the planet, reports Live Science.

Sea spiders, known in the scientific world as pycnogonids, are distant relatives of ordinary land spiders. However, their sizes are truly impressive - the leg span of these deep-sea creatures can reach 50 centimeters, which is almost twice the size of the largest terrestrial representatives.

According to the Schmidt Ocean Institute (USA), which published this captivating video on social media, the spider's impressive dimensions are explained by the phenomenon of deep-sea gigantism. Scientists use this term to describe a phenomenon where inhabitants of great depths significantly exceed their shallow-water relatives in size. The captured specimen was discovered at an impressive depth of 2,104 meters.

"The colossal pressure and extremely low temperatures, which would be an insurmountable barrier for land creatures, allow some marine inhabitants to have an extremely slow metabolism and develop gigantic sizes," the scientists explain.

Researchers note that larger sizes give animals an advantage in movement - they can move faster and cover greater distances in search of food or a mate, which is critically important in conditions of low population density on the seafloor. Deep-sea gigantism is especially pronounced in polar regions, where low temperatures contribute to slowing down metabolic processes.

To date, science knows about 1,500 species of sea spiders, but specialists suggest that many species are yet to be discovered. Sea spiders inhabit oceans around the globe, with the largest representatives usually found at depths from 2,200 to 4,000 meters. Unlike land spiders, which weave webs or dig burrows, their marine relatives use a specialized tubular mouth structure - a proboscis, with which they first digest prey externally and then suck it in. Their diet is based on sea anemones, jellyfish, and other invertebrates.

The unique footage was obtained by pilots of a remotely operated vehicle during an expedition aimed at finding and describing new species in the cold Antarctic waters. According to researchers, only 10% of marine inhabitants in this region of the World Ocean have been studied so far.