An Underwater World!

Australian and U.S. scientists recently discovered some very interesting sea life near Australia—10,000-year-old corals, purple-spotted sea anemones, sea spiders, sponges and a carnivorous sea squirt. The squirt, which is about 1.6 feet tall, works like a venus flytrap, catching prey as it passes by!

This recently discovered sea star lives among deep-sea corals.

The expedition, which cost about $2 million and lasted four weeks, used a deep-diving, remotely operated submarine named “Jason” for 14 dives that reached depths of more than 13,000 feet.

One discovery that disturbs many of the scientists is that most of the reef-forming coral deeper than 4,200 feet in the area was newly dead. The researchers are not sure if ocean warming, disease, a rise in ocean acidity or some other reason was the cause.

Ron Thresher, senior scientist of Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation, reported in January that mathematical models predict the reef could be at risk of extinction within 50 to 100 years!

The coral, which has been compared to the Great Barrier Reef, was found off the coast of the Australian state of Tasmania.

Tasmania is made up of more than 300 islands, sitting about 150 miles southeast of mainland Australia. It’s home to about 500,000 people. The island state boasts 1,000 mountain peaks, four mild seasons and some of the world’s rarest animals.

In addition to rare animal and sea life, Tasmania has plants that date back more than 95 million years ago and trees so tall they appear to touch the sky, according to www.discovertasmania.com. More than 40 percent of the land is protected as national parks and reserves, and some of the islands are so isolated that they remain undisturbed by visitors.