On unexplored Indian Ocean seamounts, researchers found 149 species new to science and a seabed scattered with shark teeth
At one site, dubbed the Shark Tooth Graveyard, the team recovered about a thousand teeth spanning more than 22 million years.
Published
Last updated
Sources 3 (0 primary or official)
The signal
A study published in June in Deep-Sea Research Part II reports the results of deep-sea voyages in 2021 and 2022 aboard Australia's research vessel Investigator to previously unstudied seamounts near the remote Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) islands. Researchers recorded 1,059 species, at least 149 of them new to science.
What we know
- The team sampled 22 seamounts, nearly 3,000 kilometres northwest of Perth, according to ABC News.
- New species include a sea cucumber of the genus Oneirophanta, a greeneye fish of the genus Chlorophthalmus and a parasitic barnacle of the genus Rhizolepas, along with black corals and sea worms.
- At a site the researchers called the Shark Tooth Graveyard, they found around 1,000 shark teeth covering more than 22 million years of evolution, according to Mongabay.
- The team also collected environmental DNA, genetic material shed by organisms, to detect species in the area.
- Formal descriptions are following in separate papers. A July 2026 paper in Records of the Australian Museum, for example, names seven new species of marine worms from the same voyages, including a new genus.
- The lead author is Tim O'Hara, a marine scientist at Museums Victoria in Melbourne, who told Mongabay no deep-sea research had previously been done in the area.
What we don't know
- Why so many teeth accumulated at one site. None of the coverage Spider reviewed explains it, and the detail appears only in Mongabay's account.
- How many of the 149 have now been formally described and named.
- Spider has not reviewed the main journal paper directly; it is behind a publisher paywall.
Why Spider noticed
"New species found" is a familiar headline. A seabed holding 22 million years of shark teeth in one place is not. It is a strange, concrete image with a peer-reviewed study behind it.
Editorial judgment, not a finding.
Why it matters
Seamounts are among the least-surveyed environments on Earth, and baseline surveys like this one are what later conservation and seabed-use decisions are measured against.
Source trail
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Peer-reviewed research
Records of the Australian Museum (Kupriyanova et al.), July 8, 2026
Peer-reviewed paper formally describing seven new worm species and a new genus from the 2021 and 2022 voyages.
Accessed October 4, 2026
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Major reporting
Scientists discover 149 new marine species off Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands
ABC News (Australia), June 11, 2026
Original coverage when the study was published: 22 seamounts, location and voyage details.
Accessed October 4, 2026
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Specialist outlet
Scientists discover 149 new deep-sea species at remote Indian Ocean seamounts
Mongabay, August 2026
Interview with the lead author; the only source for the Shark Tooth Graveyard detail. Cites the study as Deep-Sea Research Part II, vol. 227, 105651.
Accessed October 4, 2026
Status and update trail
Current status: DOCUMENTED Supported by an authentic primary document or record, though interpretation may remain open.
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DOCUMENTED
Published as DOCUMENTED. (Mongabay)
Spider never silently rewrites a story. Every change in status is dated and kept here. See all updates.