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Scientists do not establish a new deep-sea species from a striking video alone. They document the animal and where it was observed, compare its physical features and sometimes its DNA with known relatives, and publish evidence explaining what makes it distinct. Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), collected specimens, genetic methods, expert review and carefully maintained records each contribute different pieces of that case.
What counts as discovering a new species?
A deep-sea animal can pass through several stages before it is formally described: it is observed, flagged as unusual, investigated, compared with known organisms and, if the evidence supports it, described in a scientific publication. These stages are not interchangeable. A sighting can reveal a candidate, and an expedition may document many unfamiliar-looking animals, but neither automatically means each animal has been collected, confirmed as new or given a formal scientific name.
The central question is not simply whether an animal looks strange. Researchers must make a defensible case that it differs from species already described and show where it belongs among related organisms. The formal paper sets out distinguishing features—often morphological traits, DNA evidence or both—and explains the organism’s relationship to known species. Specialists outside the expedition team may be needed to assess those comparisons.
This distinction matters because deep-sea research can produce more promising observations than taxonomists can immediately resolve. MBARI reported in a 2025 account that its Designing the Future 3 expedition in the tropical South Atlantic documented more than 30 new species using imaging systems and AI tools. That is the expedition report’s documentation count, not evidence that every one already had a final published description and name.
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How an unusual animal becomes a candidate
ROVs reveal animals in their habitat
Researchers use ROVs to explore the seafloor and record animals with cameras. Video can show an organism in place, its posture, movement and surroundings—context that a specimen alone may not preserve. Taxonomic experts can identify animals during a live dive or later, by reviewing footage and collected material. NOAA Ocean Exploration’s Benthic Deepwater Animal Identification Guide links images to dive records and includes expert identifications made during dives and post-dive review.
A surprising shape or behavior is a reason to investigate, not proof of a new species. Camera angle, image quality or an unfamiliar life stage can make a known animal seem novel. Researchers therefore treat video as evidence for recognizing and prioritizing candidates, then seek other evidence where possible.
The Gulf of California Biremis example
In a case reported by MBARI in 2022, researchers saw unusual pom-pom-like masses on the Gulf of California seafloor. Closer examination and DNA testing with Scripps collaborators showed that the animals were a species of Biremis, a genus previously known from the Bahamas, and that the species was new to science. The sequence of events is important: an unusual sighting led to investigation; it was not itself the completed taxonomic discovery.
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For an observation to remain useful after a dive, researchers need to connect the identification to its context. A location without a reliable identification is limited, and an identification without a location or evidence trail is difficult to assess or revisit. NOAA’s Benthic Deepwater Animal Identification Guide, Version 4, illustrates the breadth of a useful record. Depending on what is known, its entries can include:
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- Taxonomic placement and images of the animal.
- Latitude and longitude, depth, ocean, region and locality.
- Environmental measurements such as temperature, salinity and oxygen.
- A link to the landing page for the dive associated with the observation.
Not every field will be available for every animal. Still, linking images and identifications to dive or sampling records makes it possible for experts to check the observation against its setting and to compare it with later records.
When and why do researchers collect a specimen?
When feasible, researchers collect an animal or a tissue sample so it can be examined beyond what video allows. A specimen can reveal small diagnostic structures, support genetic analyses and provide a physical record for later study. Samples may be cataloged and deposited in research collections; NOAA’s 2025 account of a Gulf of Alaska “golden orb” investigation reports that the sample was accessioned into the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s Invertebrate Zoology Collection.
Collection is not always possible or straightforward. A small, fragile animal may be damaged when collected, and handling can make some physical features harder to assess. MBARI has described developing advanced imaging methods to capture detailed three-dimensional images of delicate animals and preserve tissue. Such methods can improve documentation, but they do not eliminate the need to interpret the evidence or establish how an organism differs from known species.
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How do scientists decide whether an animal is a new species?
Compare morphology with known relatives
Taxonomists examine physical structures that can distinguish one species from another. They compare those features with described relatives, relevant scientific literature and, where available, specimens in collections. The most informative characters depend on the group: an obvious difference in an image may be useful, while a decisive distinction may require close examination of structures that are not visible in video.
This comparison often calls for specialist knowledge beyond the expedition team. MBARI describes researchers checking key features with other scientists before assigning a new name. The point is to test the candidate against what is already known, not merely to find a label for something unfamiliar.
Use DNA to add evidence, not replace taxonomic judgment
DNA barcoding identifies an organism by comparing a short sequence from a particular gene with reference sequences. NOAA explains that barcodes can help distinguish species, identify larval or juvenile stages and contribute to new-species descriptions. A genetic match is only as informative as the reference sequence and the identification behind it. The result must be interpreted alongside the organism and the question being asked.
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The golden-orb investigation shows why evidence has to be combined
In 2023, a NOAA expedition collected a mysterious golden orb in the Gulf of Alaska. Initial DNA barcoding was inconclusive, likely because DNA from microscopic organisms on the sample complicated the result. Morphological examination found stinging cells characteristic of a cnidarian group. Deeper sequencing and mitochondrial comparison then associated the sample with the known giant anemone Relicanthus daphneae, rather than establishing a new species.
The example shows why one unsuccessful or successful barcode should not carry an identification by itself. As Allen Collins, director of NOAA Fisheries’ National Systematics Laboratory, said in NOAA’s 2025 account: “This was a complex mystery that required morphological, genetic, deep-sea and bioinformatics expertise to solve.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How DNA barcoding differs from environmental DNA
DNA barcoding and environmental DNA (eDNA) both use genetic material, but they start from different kinds of samples and answer different questions. A barcode is generally obtained from an organism or tissue sample and compared with reference sequences. eDNA work instead examines genetic material shed into the environment, such as into seawater. Detecting a sequence in water can support biodiversity surveys, but it does not by itself provide a collected animal or a formal species description.
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NOAA Ocean Exploration’s 2025 description of an eDNA workflow traces the process from seawater collection with an ROV and CTD rosette through filtration, preservation, extract cataloging and sequencing. Researchers analyze the resulting sequences against taxonomic references, then make standardized data available publicly. The steps matter: the result depends on the sample, the processing and the available references, as well as on how a sequence is assigned to a taxon.
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| Method | Evidence captured | Useful for | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ROV images and video | An animal’s appearance and behavior in its habitat, with dive context | Finding candidates, observing animals difficult to collect and recording in-situ context | Image angle or resolution may hide diagnostic details; an image alone may not establish that an animal is new |
| Collected specimen or tissue | Physical structures and, where appropriate, material for genetic analysis | Detailed morphological comparison, molecular work and maintaining a voucher record | Delicate animals can be damaged during collection, and examination may require specialist expertise |
| DNA barcode | A short gene sequence from a sample, compared with reference sequences | Distinguishing species, matching life stages and corroborating an identification | Results depend on reliable references and can be complicated by incomplete data or contamination |
| Environmental DNA | Genetic material shed into sampled water | Detecting genetic traces and characterizing communities | A water-sample detection alone does not supply a specimen or the taxonomic argument for a formal description |
These methods are complementary rather than replacements for one another. A video can identify where to focus attention; a specimen can expose diagnostic structures; genetic data can help distinguish or match organisms; and eDNA can reveal traces that warrant further investigation.
What makes the discovery official?
Researchers establish a new species by publishing a taxonomic description that supports the claim. The paper explains the organism’s distinguishing morphology and/or DNA evidence, compares it with related species, and places it within the broader tree of life. The evidence must allow other scientists to understand what is new about the organism and evaluate the conclusion.
A provisional label, a database entry or an expedition announcement can be useful before this stage, but it is not necessarily equivalent to a published taxonomic description. There is no universal time from sighting to formal description established by the accounts discussed here: the work depends on the evidence, the comparisons required and the specialists involved.
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The scale of the backlog helps explain why the steps should not be collapsed. In a circa-2018 MBARI account, biologist Linda Kuhnz estimated that more than 200 species had been discovered through MBARI research, with over 130 formally named and at least another 70 awaiting formal names. Those are historical estimates reported by MBARI, not current counts. Separately, MBARI reported in 2022 that its researchers had discovered over 240 new species over 35 years, including 30 new worms. The different dates, scopes and terms mean these figures should not be combined into a single total.
How identifications remain checkable and correctable
A useful public record connects an identification to evidence: images, specimen or sequence information, the place and depth of observation or collection, and dive or sampling metadata. NOAA’s identification guide follows WoRMS taxonomic classification and can be updated after expert reports or taxonomic revisions and new descriptions accepted in WoRMS. A name in a guide is therefore part of an evolving scientific record, not an immutable label.
That record keeping has practical value. It lets another expert review why an animal was assigned to a group, where the observation occurred and whether new evidence changes the interpretation. NOAA’s circa-2023 update to its deepwater guide reported over 3,000 identified deep-sea coral species; that is the count given in the guide update, not a current census of all deep-sea species.
DNA-based records also support identification across different life stages. A NOAA Central Library record for a 2021 paper on larval-adult matching of deep-sea shrimps from the Gulf of Mexico describes the use of DNA barcoding and phylogenetic methods to associate larvae with adults. This illustrates how a genetic comparison can help connect forms that may look unlike one another at different stages, while remaining part of a broader identification process.
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