Discovered at 805m on Mystery Ridge in the South Sandwich Islands, this elegant sea pen is a striking addition to Antarctic biodiversity. Unlike reef-building corals that cling to rock, the majority of sea pens act like trees of the soft-bottomed deep sea, using a muscular bulb to anchor themselves in the sediment. Each colony is a cooperative of specialised polyps: some act as biological pumps to keep the structure upright, while others filter-feed from the passing current. Identified by Dr Raissa Hogan during the 2025 expedition in partnership with Schmidt Ocean Institute, this specimen is currently undergoing genetic analysis to confirm its exact evolutionary lineage. This discovery is dedicated to the memory of the late Dr Gary Williams, a legend of sea pen taxonomy. By bringing this species to light, Ocean Census honors his immense legacy and the generations of specialists whose foundational work makes modern discoveries like this possible.
Discovered at 805m on Mystery Ridge in the South Sandwich Islands, this elegant sea pen is a striking addition to Antarctic biodiversity. Unlike reef-building corals that cling to rock, the majority of sea pens act like trees of the soft-bottomed deep sea, using a muscular bulb to anchor themselves in the sediment. Each colony is a cooperative of specialised polyps: some act as biological pumps to keep the structure upright, while others filter-feed from the passing current. Identified by Dr Raissa Hogan during the 2025 expedition in partnership with Schmidt Ocean Institute, this specimen is currently undergoing genetic analysis to confirm its exact evolutionary lineage. This discovery is dedicated to the memory of the late Dr Gary Williams, a legend of sea pen taxonomy. By bringing this species to light, Ocean Census honors his immense legacy and the generations of specialists whose foundational work makes modern discoveries like this possible.