Scientists have identified 57 new marine species from the deep-sea expedition off Argentina that went viral after a sea star resembling Patrick Star from SpongeBob SquarePants was pictured.
The bright orange sea star became an internet sensation during a 2025 livestream of the Mar del Plata Submarine Canyon, which drew more than 4 million viewers. Fans flocked to the chat to see the sea star, which even appeared to have Patrick’s distinctive behind.
Despite its fame, it isn’t one of the new discoveries. According to the Ocean Census press release, Patrick “was not thought to be a new species, and was left undisturbed and unaware of its notoriety.”
ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean InstituteThe 57 new species were instead identified from samples collected during the same expedition, at a workshop held in Buenos Aires in July 2026 by the Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census and the Schmidt Ocean Institute.
The standout is “Loki the Sea Cucumber,” named after the Norse god for its horn-like appendages. It was found at a depth of 2,577 meters and is one of up to 10 new species of sea cucumber identified.
The team also found 20 new species of copepods, tiny crustaceans, despite examining just 10% of the samples collected. Every specimen they checked turned out to be new to science.
“The deep sea holds some of the least understood ecosystems on Earth,” said Ocean Census head of science Dr Michelle Taylor.
The canyon, which is nearly twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, will be explored further in a follow-up expedition planned for early 2027.
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