[JUNIOR HERALD] Communities of marine life found off Tasmania

A team of researchers from Australia and the United States *discovered new marine life in the deep waters off Tasmania, an Australian state, according to news reports. The findings include *fiery red coral and purple-spotted *anemones.



The research team is led by scientist Jess Adkins of the California Institute of Technology. He explores the deep waters of southwest Tasmania using a *submarine called "Jason," an AP report said. Jason is a remotely-operated submarine. It can collect samples and shoot pictures and video footage.



The report said researchers will study samples of the coral to find out whether the *creatures are dying due to various reasons such as ocean warming and rise in ocean *acidity.



The effect of rising ocean acidity on coral is troubling Michael Kingsford, head of marine *biology at James Cook University, was quoted as saying.



"Any warnings signs that deep *calcium carbonate-based animals like coral are getting weaker is, of course, of great concern, and does match with the long-term *prediction that we`re heading in the wrong *direction," he said, according to the AP report.



It said some of the *treasures that the researchers found were sea spiders, a *carnivorous *sea squirt and a sponge with a waffle-like appearance. According to Ron Thresher of Australia`s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, the report said, one of the *expedition`s chief scientists, the sea squirt stood 1.6 feet tall on the ocean floor and worked like a *venus flytrap. It used a funnel-like *appendage to collapse around *prey that *unwittingly brushed past it.



It is also reported that scientists discovered coral which was more than 10,000 years old. Scientists will examine this coral and try to find *clues about the *ancient climate. The coral may also be able to help determine when coral reefs have *existed south of Tasmania over the last several million years, the report said.



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