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Scientists embark on marine census Surprising finds arise in quest to unlock oceans' mysteries

Peering deep into the sea, scientists are finding creatures more mysterious than many could have imagined.

At one site, nearly 2 miles deep in the Atlantic, shrimp were living around a vent that was releasing water heated to 765 degrees Fahrenheit. Water surrounding the site was a chilly 36 degrees.

An underwater peak in the Coral Sea was home to a type of shrimp thought to have gone extinct 50 million years ago.

More than 3 miles beneath the Sargasso Sea, in the Atlantic, researchers collected a dozen new species eating each other or living on organic material that drifts down from above.

“Animals seem to have found a way to make a living just about everywhere,” said Jesse Ausubel of the Sloan Foundation, discussing the findings of year six of the census of marine life.

Added Ron O’Dor, a senior scientist with the census: “We can’t find anyplace where we can’t find anything new.”

This year’s update, released Sunday, is part of a study of life in the oceans that is scheduled for final publication in 2010. The census is an international effort supported by governments, divisions of the United Nations and private conservation organizations. About 2,000 researchers from 80 countries are participating.

Ausubel said there are nearly 16,000 known species of marine fish and 70,000 kinds of marine animals of all types. A couple of thousand have been discovered during the census.
 
Highlights of the 2006 research