A previously unknown marine world has been discovered in Papua, but it is already under threat, reports Claire O'Connell
Sharks that "walk" on the seabed, shrimp-like terrorists that club their prey before devouring it and cheeky "flasher" fish that gamely change colour when they spot an attractive mate - no, it's not the cast of a new Disney cartoon, these are real creatures, among the 52 new marine species discovered off the coast of Indonesia's Papua province by US-based charity Conservation International (CI), which unveiled details of its findings earlier this week.
The team of experts who explored remote underwater sites off Papua's Bird's Head Seascape earlier this year could barely believe the diversity of life they saw there, says marine biologist Dr Sebastian Troeng, CI's director of regional marine strategies. Two surveys revealed a wealth of marine fauna, including 24 fish, 20 corals and eight mantis shrimp that were previously unknown.
"It was really quite astounding," says Troeng. "With additional surveys it might well turn out to be the most biodiverse marine area on the planet."
Among the more eye-catching discoveries were two new species of epaulette shark that wiggle along the seabed on their pectoral fins to catch prey such as crabs and small fish. Around a metre long, these spotty, nocturnal fish don't pose a threat to humans, according to Troeng. These are not the first shuffling sharks to be discovered, but finding two new epaulette species in the same region is a coup.
"Sharks are large animals and it's not that common to find new species," he says.
While a harmless walking shark may be cute, the mantis shrimp is considerably less so, and eight new species turned up in the Bird's Head Seascape. These crustaceans are quick on the draw and lash out with a front leg to smash or spear nearby prey. Scientists have previously measured this brutal kick to move at 23 metres per second, and it is reportedly strong enough to break aquarium glass.
The CI team also recorded new species of "flasher" wrasses, so called because the normally dreary male fish flash brilliant colours to attract females. Many new corals were also found in an area that already hosts one of the highest numbers of coral species in the world.
This isn't the first time that the Papua region has astounded naturalists with its sweep of wildlife. Last year, CI mounted a separate expedition into the Foja Mountains, less than 200km from some of the Bird's Head marine sites, and discovered a "lost world" teeming with previously unrecorded plant and animal species. Troeng believes that the magic formula for species diversity in the region is the mix of a tropical climate, relative isolation and the prevalence of coral that can support a variety of ecological niches.
But the precious marine diversity is now under threat from practices such as cyanide and dynamite fishing, logging and mining, and CI is working with the Indonesian government and global agencies to secure more environmental protection.
"So far, the response has been spectacular and we are very optimistic that we will be able to address some of these urgent and emerging threats to marine biodiversity in this area," says Troeng.
The new discoveries also highlight the fact that in a world where technology lets you go online and zoom in on satellite images of your own back garden, scientifically valuable species can still remain uncharted in our waters.
"Billions of dollars are spent each year to explore space and send up satellites, but there is still fairly little known about the oceans," says Troeng. "Discoveries of new species are common but not on the scale found in this survey, and it demonstrates a need for us to increase ocean exploration to find out which species are out there and which species are threatened, so we can put adequate protection into place."
Troeng believes we now need to go deeper to see what lurks in the oceanic "twilight zone", a region between 50 and 200 metres below the surface that is inaccessible using standard dive-tanks.
"I think that's the next frontier," he says.
For more information see www.conservation.org