Recorded transparent sea cucumber image at a depth of 2,200m under the sea

The remotely operated vehicle helped scientists discover a new species of sea cucumber with a transparent body and a unique bright orange gut.

The team of experts aboard the Ocean Exploration Trust's Nautilus research vessel used a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to film a strange creature with an orange body and transparent body in March. It was at the time. wandering at a depth of about 2,201m below the sea southeast of Honolulu, Hawaii. This is actually a species of sea cucumber that has never been discovered, Live Science on May 21 reported.

Sea cucumbers are a diverse group of organisms with many species distributed throughout the Central Pacific region, according to Megan Cook, an expert at the Ocean Exploration Trust. She said the newly discovered species of sea cucumber belongs to the family Elpidiidae. They are deep-sea scavengers, often feeding on sea snow - a "rain" of skin cells, feces and animal debris that falls to the bottom of the ocean.

Many species of the Elpidiidae family have fin-like appendages that help them swim over short distances. This is a useful adaptation that allows the sea cucumbers to move over a larger area and find new feeding sites, Cook explains.

 The newly discovered sea cucumber belongs to the family Elpidiidae.

Sea cucumbers scour the seafloor, using sticky tentacles – the red leaf or star-shaped structures around their mouths – to collect a mixture of sand and organic matter, which they then bring to their mouths. The bright orange intestinal tract inside the transparent body helps to digest organic matter, excreting inedible sand. This activity forms an important carbon storage system.

The seabed is the largest carbon sequestration system on Earth. Carbon-rich organic matter is absorbed by seafloor organisms such as sea cucumbers and remains in the deep sea for long periods of time. "They're great recyclers/scavengers on the seabed," Cook said of the deep-sea sea cucumbers.

When frightened, some species of sea cucumbers can push the digestive system out through the anus, helping them escape from hungry predators. The organs will quickly regrow. However, scientists are not sure if the newly discovered sea cucumber species has this ability or not.

The Nautilus is live streaming ROV dives and the current research mission is expected to last until the end of October. The team will continue to explore the Central Pacific. "The next ROV dives will be towards Johnston, one of the most remote atolls in the world," Cook said.