Skip to main content
Scientific American
  • Cart 0
  • Forgot password?Loading
    Not yet registered?
  • |Stay Informed
Advanced Search
  • Coronavirus
  • The Sciences
  • Mind
  • Health
  • Tech
  • Sustainability
  • Video
  • Podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Publications
  • Subscribe
  • Current Issue
  • Cart0
  • Sign In
  • Stay Informed
      • Share
      • Latest

      Fishing Poll: Taking a Census of Ocean Species [Slide Show]

      Taxonomists are cleaning up and adding to the book of life on hundreds of thousands of known marine species—from plankton to sperm whales

      • Share on Facebook
      • Share on Twitter
      • Share on Reddit
      • Share on LinkedIn
      • Share via
      • Print
      Fishing Poll: Taking a Census of Ocean Species [Slide Show]
      Slideshow (9) images
      View
      Credits: P. C. Dworscha

      Fishing Poll: Taking a Census of Ocean Species [Slide Show]

        • Share
      • SEA LAMPREY: This jawless creature was first described by the father of taxonomy, Carl Linnaeus, in 1758 and sports a round mouth with sharp, curved teeth—one of 5,600 images already available in the new World Register of Marine Species ... RIVO/Henk Henssen/2005
      • NEW SPONGE: Despite thriving in Dutch waters, this Haliclona (Soestella) xena sponge was not formally described until 2000—when it was recognized to be distinct from its close cousins due to variations in its inner skeleton... Bruno Van Bogaert
      • MARBLED CRAB: Liocarcinus marmoreus is found swimming in the North Atlantic and the North Sea, a well-researched area, perhaps leading to its multiple aliases. Hans Hillerwaert
      • YETI CRAB: Dubbed Kiwa hirsuta , after the goddess of shellfish in Polynesian mythology, this deep-dwelling crab of the Pacific–Antarctic Ridge is better known as the yeti crab for its hairy appearance... E. Macpherson
      • Advertisement
      • NEW SQUID: Named in 2004, the Promachoteuthis sloani lives at depths greater than 6,560 feet (2,000 meters). Perhaps unsurprisingly, nothing is known of the four-inch- (102-millimeter-) long squid's lifestyle... Richard E. Young
      • MADAGASCAR LOBSTER: All told, marine census researchers have uncovered a wide range of new species from tiny zooplankton to nine-pound (four-kilogram) giant lobsters like this one from the Indian Ocean. J. C. Groenveld
      • HIDDEN SPONGE: Despite its brilliant yellow color, this sponge, dubbed Cliona celata, was only recently discovered off the coast of Brittany in France. Yann Fontana
      • GHOST SHRIMP: This newly discovered translucent shrimp frequents mud volcanoes more than 4,265 feet (1,300 meters) below the surface of the Gulf of Cadiz in the Atlantic Ocean off the southwestern coast of the Iberian Peninsula... P. C. Dworscha
      • Advertisement
      • BREAD CRUMB SPONGE: This ubiquitous sponge, which takes many different forms, boasts the world record for most scientific aliases, racking up a total of 56—meaning the 56 times scientists thought the gunpowder-scented sponge was a species that had never been described before... Rob Van Soest
      • Previous
      • Next
      of
      • View all
      • Link copied!
      • SEA LAMPREY:
      • NEW SPONGE:
      • MARBLED CRAB:
      • YETI CRAB:
      • NEW SQUID:
      • MADAGASCAR LOBSTER:
      • HIDDEN SPONGE:
      • GHOST SHRIMP:
      • BREAD CRUMB SPONGE:
      Advertisement
      Advertisement

      Newsletter

      Get smart. Sign up for our email newsletter.

      Sign Up

      Support Science Journalism

      Discover world-changing science. Explore our digital archive back to 1845, including articles by more than 150 Nobel Prize winners.

      Subscribe Now!Support Science Journalism

      Follow us

      • instagram
      • soundcloud
      • youtube
      • twitter
      • facebook
      • rss

      Scientific american arabic

      العربية
      • Return & Refund Policy
      • About
      • Press Room
      • FAQs
      • Contact Us
      • Site Map
      • Advertise
      • SA Custom Media
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • California Consumer Privacy Statement
      • Use of cookies/Do not sell my data
      • International Editions
      Scientific American is part of Springer Nature, which owns or has commercial relations with thousands of scientific publications (many of them can be found at www.springernature.com/us). Scientific American maintains a strict policy of editorial independence in reporting developments in science to our readers.

      © 2021 Scientific American, a Division of Springer Nature America, Inc.

      All Rights Reserved.

      Scroll To Top

      You have free articles left.

      Temp Paywall Img

      Support our award-winning coverage of advances in science & technology.

      Already a subscriber? Sign in.

      Subscribers get more award-winning coverage of advances in science & technology.

      See Subscription Options