A City-Sized Fish Spawning Ground Discovered in Antarctica

A group of German scientists has discovered a city-sized rare ecosystem on the seabed near the shores of Antarctica, in the Weddell Sea. This was reported in an article published in the journal Current Biology, according to Lenta.ru.

The expedition aboard the research vessel Polarstern was investigating ocean currents when the discovery was made accidentally with the help of an underwater camera. The findings pertain to a fish spawning ground located 500 meters deep, covering an area of 240 square kilometers, and housing around 60 million individuals. For comparison, the area of Ryazan is 224 square kilometers.

The average diameter of the nests is 75 centimeters, with a depth of approximately 15 centimeters. According to the scientists, each nest contains about 1,735 fish eggs.

The representatives of this population belong to the species Neopagetopsis ionah, known as the icefish, which has a transparent skull and blood. To survive in low temperatures, this species produces antifreeze proteins that prevent ice crystals from forming in their blood.