Thursday, December 14, 2006

Researchers finds ocean species thought extinct

Researchers finds ocean species thought extinct
Dec. 10, 2006. 05:20 PM
ALISON AULD
CANADIAN PRESS

HALIFAX - Oceans around the globe are teeming with life and hundreds of
species either unknown to science or thought to be extinct, according to
researchers creating one of the most extensive inventories of the marine
world.

Ron O'Dor, a senior scientist with the Census of Marine Life, said that in
the last year, an international team of scientists has discovered at least
500 new underwater species, including gangly and googly-eyed creatures that
can live in the most hostile of environments.

"The diversity in the oceans is huge and dramatic, more than anyone ever
expected," the Halifax-based scientist said from London, where he was doing
interviews prior to the release Monday of a report outlining some of the
census's key findings.

"Historically there was a belief that the deep ocean was a kind of desert
and what we're essentially seeing is that that was an impression based
primarily on a lack of technology."

Full story here

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