The Surprising Diversity Of Life In The Deep Sea

The deep sea is the ocean's lowest stratum, commencing roughly at a depth of one mile and extending all the way to the seafloor. With zero light, an average temperature of 39 degrees Fahrenheit, and extreme pressure, it is one of the most hazardous environments on Earth. Few known organisms can survive there.

Scientists used to predict that life would be scarce in the deepest regions of our oceans due to the harsh environment. But ever since we actually began investigating it, we've discovered that not only is life in the deep sea more varied than we ever imagined, but it's also more varied than many habitable ecosystems on land.

The deep water shouldn't be ideal for natural selection and the formation of various evolutionary features, according to all of our theories on evolution, thus it is a complete mystery to science. Furthermore, we are largely ignorant about the kind of animals and other organisms that exist there, let alone their interactions.