The prehistoric creatures in the deep sea revealed

Deep beneath the ocean’s surface, scientists exploring the Central Pacific Basin have spotted behaviour that’s never been seen before outside of the fossil record. Among the many remarkable creatures observed during the mission, researchers with the NOAA’s Okeanos Explorer witnessed the moment a snail appeared to be munching on the feces of a ‘sea lily.’

Experts say this behaviour can be traced back hundreds of millions of years to the Palaeozoic Era.

The expedition kicked off on April 27, in effort to collect new data on the deep-water areas of the Pacific, beginning near the American Samoa capital Pago Pago, and ending near Honolulu, Hawaii.

It comes as part of the three-year Campaign to Address the Pacific monument Science, Technology, and Ocean Needs, which aims to explore Pacific marine monuments sanctuaries, the ‘last relatively pristine marine ecosystems on the planet.'

Over 23 days, researchers conducted remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dives in American Samoa, the high seas, and the Jarvis Island, Kingman Reef, and Palmyra Atoll Units of Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.

On May 19, they returned to Honolulu.