They were exploring off the coast of Antarctica and found colonies of marine life including crabs, an octopus and starfish totally new to science, living in the murky depths.
The reason their existence is remarkable is that they were found on top of undersea volcanoes called hydrothermal vents, which pump out plumes of black smoke causing temperatures to rise to 380CÂ - hot enough to melt lead.
With no sunshine there, they live in complete darkness but the creatures get their energy from breaking down highly toxic chemicals found in the smoke.
The researchers from Oxford and Southampton universities and the British Antarctic Survey say their existence in such hostile conditions will help understand the origins of life - and whether it could exist on other planets.
The most numerous of the two dozen new species found is a type of ‘yeti crab' around 16cm long, which was piled in huge heaps of up to 600 animals near the vents. Read the full report here.
Source: by Tamara Cohen, Mail Online.
