Fish and shrimp found living under thick ice in Antarctica

When drilling a small hole in Antarctica, scientists were amazed to see fish and shrimp swimming in eternal darkness at a depth of 740m below the ice.

Ross Powell, a polar geologist at Northern Illinois University in the US, and his colleagues found the strange fish when they drilled holes in the Ross Ice Shelf, an area the size of France, to study the water flowing from the west of Antarctica. They swim in the layer of water between the ice and the sea floor. The layer of water is only about 10m high, and the temperature is -2 degrees Celsius, Scientific American reported.

The fish's bodies are translucent so observers can see their internal organs.

"I was surprised, because we all think that living animals cannot live in an environment with almost no food, very cold and not favorable for life," said Ross.

The team saw 20 to 30 fish swimming in the subglacial water layer, so they lowered cameras to film them. Their bodies were translucent, with a pinkish-brown color, allowing people to see their internal organs. Their average body length was about 15cm.

The team also found two other smaller fish species (one black and one orange), a red shrimp species, and several invertebrates.

Location of the Ross Ice Shelf (red X) on the map.

"Clearly there is a population of animals here," Ross said.

According to experts, it is likely that animals under the thick ice of Antarctica feed on plankton drifting in from the Ross Sea. Bacteria are another source of food for them. Chemical energy from the Earth's core helps bacteria and other microorganisms survive in environments where sunlight cannot reach.

Currently, Professor Ross and his colleagues are continuing to study fish and shrimp to learn about their species.

According to Zing