"Because this is the last unexplored place in the world in a way, it's so common that the creatures we see are new to science," NOAA expedition coordinator Brian Kennedy told the New Scientist.
The scientists used two remotely operated vehicles tethered together to explore the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, a World Heritage conservation site in the northwestern region of the Hawaiian Archipelago.
![Click to enlarge dandelion siphonophore pacific ocean](/image/s15/309997/1036833490.jpg)
"If you try to look at them on deck, they're a little off. They're expecting the refraction of the water," Kennedy said.
"Even with the species that are already known to science, we're seeing them alive in their habitat for the first time."
"For many deep-sea organisms, as soon as they get warm, they change color or degrade. These are really dramatic finds and scientists are excited to see them because they have only seen them dead or in distress."
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