Ocean Census Sees Record 1,121 New Marine Species in One Year

The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census reports 1,121 newly identified marine species in a single year—a 54% rise—built from 13 expeditions and nine discovery workshops, including corals, crabs, shrimps, sea urchins, anemones, a 'Ghost Shark' chimaera and a Mediterranean shrimp. The findings underscore vast undiscovered ocean biodiversity and the urgency of cataloging species before extinction, noting that up to 90% of ocean life remains undiscovered and averaging 13.5 years between discovery and formal description.