A group of scientists recently went exploring off the coast of Puerto Rico and captured several incredible images of previously undiscovered deep sea creatures .
The team, backed by the U.S. government, came across the remarkable sea critters on their final leg of a 52-day expedition. The first two legs of their project were spent mapping the unexplored seafloor .
The footage, which was captured by scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , was streamed online in real time using a remotely operated deep sea vehicle. And across 12 dives, they were able to explore the ocean depths of up to 20,000 feet.
The oceanic vehicle spotted more than 100 species of fish, in addition to 50 different deep-water corals and hundreds of other invertebrates.
In their findings, there were also a number of species that had not yet been named, as well as a jelly-fish like creature called a ctenophore, or comb jelly , and a new type of fish.
To date, only 15 percent of the ocean has been mapped – and with about 95 percent of the ocean floor still being unexplored, it’s undoubted that there are many more “alien” and fascinating creatures residing around us in the deep depths of our oceans.
Check out the seemingly otherworldly sea creatures in the above video from Quartz .
[Image via Quartz]
