A starfish resembling SpongeBob's Patrick Star drew widespread attention during a livestreamed expedition off Argentina in August 2025. Beyond that memorable encounter, the Schmidt Ocean Institute voyage produced a substantial collection of marine specimens, most retrieved from Mar del Plata Canyon using the remotely operated vehicle SuBastian. An international team subsequently gathered at Maimonides University in Buenos Aires, where a two-week taxonomy workshop resulted in the naming of 57 new species and five new genera—the classification level above species.
The discoveries comprised 22 echinoderm species, including sea cucumbers and crinoids; 20 copepod species, a group of crustaceans; 14 cnidarians, including several kinds of coral; and one mollusk, a tusk shell. Some corals, sea cucumbers, and crustaceans also represented previously unidentified genera. Among up to 10 new sea cucumber species was an animal nicknamed Loki, whose horn-like appendages resemble the Norse god's hat. It was assigned to the genus Peniagone.
Conducted aboard the research vessel Falkor (too), the expedition formed part of Ocean Census's effort to document deep-sea biodiversity before potential disruption from climate change and seabed mining. Mar del Plata Canyon descends beyond 3,500 meters and lies where the warm, salty Brazil Current meets the cold, nutrient-rich Malvinas Current, creating an exceptionally energetic ocean region. The newly identified species advance understanding of South Atlantic ecosystems, while Ocean Census makes the resulting information globally accessible. The findings also illustrate how much remains to be learned about life in the deep ocean.
