‘Ghost Shark’ Among 1,100 New Sea Species Discovered

Thursday, May 28, 2026

Researchers involved with the Ocean Census have identified over 1,100 new marine species in the past year, including a carnivorous sponge, a deep-sea “ghost shark” chimaera, and a symbiotic worm living inside glass sponges. These discoveries accelerate the formal documentation of marine biodiversity, helping to fill gaps in knowledge about the estimated two million species that exist but remain largely undescribed.

More than 1,100 new marine species have been identified over the past year, highlighting the vast and largely unexplored diversity of ocean life. The discoveries, made by researchers affiliated with the Ocean Census initiative, include a range of unique organisms such as a carnivorous sponge, a deep-sea chimaera, and a worm living symbiotically inside a glass sponge.

The Ocean Census, supported by the Nippon Foundation and the Oxford-based charity Nekton, seeks to accelerate the formal description of marine species, a process that has traditionally taken over a decade on average. To date, scientists estimate that as many as two million marine species exist, but fewer than 240,000 have been officially documented.

Among the notable finds is a species of chimaera, often referred to as a “ghost shark,” discovered at a depth exceeding 800 meters in the Australian Coral Sea marine park. Chimaeras are distant relatives of sharks and rays, adapted to deep-sea environments. Another significant discovery is a carnivorous sponge from the North Trench near the South Sandwich Islands in the sub-Antarctic South Atlantic. This sponge, found at 3,601 meters depth, is covered in tiny hook-like structures that trap small crustaceans, which are then digested slowly, earning the species the nickname “death ball.”

The researchers also described a worm species, Dalhousiella yabukii, that inhabits the intricate silica skeleton of a glass sponge at about 791 meters deep. These glass sponges create elaborate mesh-like structures, sometimes called “glass castles,” providing shelter for the worm in an unusual symbiotic relationship.

Additional discoveries include a brightly colored shrimp with orange bands found in a sea cave off the coast of Marseille, France. These diverse finds underscore the range of habitats and unique adaptations present in the world’s oceans.

Michelle Taylor, head of science for the Ocean Census, emphasized the importance of advancing the pace of species identification. She noted that thousands of marine species have remained in scientific “limbo” due to the slow rate of formal description and stressed that the project is successfully addressing this bottleneck.

The Ocean Census continues its efforts to catalog marine biodiversity more rapidly, providing critical insights into the life forms that inhabit the vast and still largely uncharted underwater world.