Flying spaghetti monster and glow in the dark dragonfish discovered in underwater mountains

Schmidt Ocean Research have been exploring the underwater mountains of Chile again, and the new species they are finding just keep getting weirder and weirder. But it’s bad news for atheists, because the Flying Spaghetti Monster has been found again (ontological arguments 1, ‘science’ 0). The strange blue/green/white/purple/misc collection of eyes, tentacles and parts unknown is a bathyphysa siphonophore, which has never been observed in the region before. Neither has the galaxy siphonophore, a related organism that looks like an infinity seahorse centipede feather duster, nor a new type of glow-in-the-dark dragonfish, nor any of the other impossible-looking finds. These alien earthlings were found on the Salas y Gómez Ridge, a little explored underwater region nestled between Easter Island and the Chilean mainland that is proving to be home to the world’s wackiest water-borne life. ‘The astonishing habitats and animal communities that we have unveiled during these two expeditions constitute a dramatic example of how little we know about this remote area,’ said Dr. Javier Sellanes of the Universidad Católica del Norte. Schmidt Ocean Research’s previous expedition to the area discovered over 100 suspected new species. One of them was a fish with legs.