Survey Finds Hidden Universe Under The Sea

The world's biggest ever census of the seas has estimated there could be 750,000 marine species that still have not been discovered.

The study was conducted over a 10-year period and involved 2,700 scientists working on it to provide a comprehensive global picture of marine life.

"The census enlarged the known world," said Myriam Sibuet, vice-chair of the Scientific Steering Committee.

"Life astonished us everywhere we looked. In the deep sea we found luxuriant communities despite extreme conditions.

"The discoveries of new species and habitats both advanced science and inspired artists with their extraordinary beauty."

The strange white "yeti crab" was found in the depths of the south Pacific Ocean, 900 miles off Easter Island in 2006.

It is blind and scientists needed to create a new family of animal to able to classify it.

Teams also saw huge schools of fish swimming together in groups estimated to be as big as Manhattan Island.

British observers discovered sea spiders in the Antarctic seas that measured up to 9in across - about the size of a dinner plate.

Most ocean biomass though is made up of tiny microbial cells.

The census predicts there are so many of these organisms in the ocean that they would collectively weigh the equivalent of 240 billion African elephants.

The findings also suggest that climate change will lead to redistribution of marine life as sea temperatures change.