Oceanographers Mapping Underwater Mountain Find Flying Spaghetti Monster

Despite covering 70% of Earth, we have only mapped a quarter of the ocean floor to a high resolution. An expedition to the Nazca Ridge off the coast of Chile has discovered a towering underwater mountain, four times taller than the world's tallest building. This newly mapped seamount, rising thousands of meters from the seafloor, harbors coral gardens teeming with diverse marine life. Researchers used sonar technology to map the mountain and its unique ecosystem, documenting rare deep-sea creatures. Among these discoveries was a ghostly white Casper octopus, marking its first sighting in the southern Pacific. The team also spotted two rare Bathyphysa siphonophores, nicknamed "flying spaghetti monsters" due to their string-like appearance. Additionally, the expedition captured the first footage of a live Promachoteuthis squid, previously only known from a few collected specimens. This research highlights the vast unexplored world beneath the waves and the potential for new discoveries in the deep ocean.