‘Living magic carpet’ discovered off the coast of Costa Rica

A mysterious new species of sea worm, which collectively created the impression of a ‘living magic carpet’ to the people who first spotted it, has been discovered off the coast of Costa Rica.

The species, named Pectinereis strickrotti, was found 30 miles off the coast of Costa Rica, and represents one of the most intriguing new sea creatures found in recent years.

The illusive creature is a type of ragworm and it was spotted for the first time back in 2009. A team discovered more about the Pectinereis strickrotti after returning to the spot deep down in the Pacific Ocean a decade later.

Six of the creatures were observed 1,000 metres below the surface by the researchers exploring a methane seep on board a submersible. The seeps are home to incredible wildlife, with animals feeding off the food created by bacteria that consume methane.

During this trip, the team got to observe the unique behaviour of these animals – and the effect they produce when moving.

"The way this thing moved was so graceful, I thought it looked like a living magic carpet," said Bruce Strickrott, who is the lead pilot for Alvin at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, in a statement. The species was named after him.

The species lives in deep waters and measures in at around 10 centimetres long, with distinctive parapodia which resemble feathers.

Scientists have discovered 48 new species in the methane seeps off the coast of Costa Rica since 2009.

New Species of Deep-Sea Worm Discovered off Costa Ricawww.youtube.com

The findings were published in a study co-authored by marine biologist Greg Rouse at the University of California.

Rouse said: "We've spent years trying to name and describe the biodiversity of the deep sea.

"At this point we have found more new species than we have time to name and describe. It just shows how much undiscovered biodiversity is out there. We need to keep exploring the deep sea and to protect it."

Sign up for our free indy100 weekly newsletter

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings