Scientists have recently announced a new black coral species thriving in warm temperatures.
Teams with ocean exploration non-profit OceanX initially made the discovery in 2020 during an expedition in the Neom region of the northern Red Sea in Saudi Arabia.
Black coral is usually found in the depths of the ocean. Other species are not usually abundant in the Red Sea, but this new one is.
OceanX managed to gather samples from hundreds of colonies that were thriving in the warm waters.
Most corals live in colder waters worldwide. This latest type of black coral is unique in that it thrives in warm waters such as the Red Sea, which has a temperature of 22 °C.
Scientists were aiming to explore deep-sea ecosystems of the area by using acoustic mapping technology.
"At a few hundreds of meters of depth in the submarine, we saw several feather-like organisms likely to be black corals. I realized I had never seen that coral before, so I collected some samples," Giovanni Chimienti, a marine biologist and researcher at the University of Bari (Italy) who was lead researcher on the discovery, told Newsweek.
Samples of the unusual coral were then taken to the Red Sea Research Center laboratory, where it was confirmed that it had never been discovered before.
This is what inspired its name thermophilia, which comes from Greek terms thermos (hot) and philia (love, or preference for.)
It is the first-ever black coral able to live in such warm waters.
Chimienti said it was particularly exciting to discover a new species in the 21st century, which shows "there are still animal species we do not know on our planet."
"The deep-sea is a promising source of new species, and every new species is exciting because it adds a new element to the still-incomplete picture about the deep-sea biodiversity living today. Moreover, you never know how a new species is going to change our way of understanding animals and the natural world," Chimienti said. "This discovery is particularly relevant because it's black coral. These animals play an important role as habitat formers in an area where there is no coral reef."
Chimienti said the coral was living amongst other corals in a "black coral forest."
"[This] increases the three-dimensionality of the seabed and provides refuge for different creatures, from molluscs to sea lilies, crustaceans and small fish," he said. "There is still a lot more to explore and discover, meaning that we have a lot more work to do. The Red Sea is not considered rich of black coral species, but our research is revealing a series of species and adaptations that are shedding new light on the role of these neglected corals in shaping biodiversity and ecosystem services."
This deep-sea species may also be able to cope with the effects of global warming, and offer hope for life in warming waters, Chimienti said.
"The rising of the water temperature is a clear and obvious threat to most of the marine life, particularly the deep-sea one that lives in cold waters. A deep-sea species that is tolerant to warm temperatures is able to cope with global warming, in a certain measure," Chimienti said.
"I imagine that the deep seabed of the future will be populated by more species like B. thermophila, while many others will go extinct if we do not slow down climate changes. For this reason, it gives a certain hope about the persistence of life in the ocean, but not necessarily about the persistence of life as we know it today (including humans)."
Correction 11/02/22 11.33 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to say Giovanni Chimienti was lead researcher on the discovery and the image credits have been corrected.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Robyn White is a Newsweek Nature Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on wildlife, science and the ... Read more
