Starfish City Found on Underwater Mountains

Scientists studying the Macquarie Ridge sea mountains south of New Zealand, which are part of a string of underwater volcanoes inactive for several million years, have discovered an area populated by millions of tiny starfish, feeding in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current - world's biggest oceanic current. It was the largest collection and density of cardinal fish and bubblegum coral found during the expedition. The study involved 19 researchers, amongst which five from Australia, investigating the geology and the biology of eight of the mountains.

"I've personally never seen anything like this - all these animals, the sheer volume - all waiting for food from the current. It challenged what we as scientists thought we knew", said marine biologist Dr. Mireille Consalvey.

The expedition, stretching between March 26 and April 26, was led by marine biologist Ashley Rowden who said that starfish generally live on slopes far away from the top of the mountains. "It got us excited as soon as we saw it. It was unique in that it hasn't been found on the tops of sea mounts before, and it was over a relatively large area", said Rowden.

The findings were detailed only now due to commitments made by key scientists participating in the study.

"Normally fish would prey on them and eat them, but for whatever reason there's a lack of fish predation there and it's seen this particular animal flourish", says Tim O'Hara, marine biologist and brittle star specialist about the starfish colony. It is probably because of the sea current that fish weren't there to feed on these animals, said O'Hara who did not participate in the expedition.

According to oceanographer Mike Williams, the Circumpolar Current merging the waters of the three oceans circulates around the world a volume of water about 150 times greater than that of the all the rivers in the world, carrying vast amounts of heat across the ocean, determining strong regional influences and global climate.

There are about 100,000 sea mountains throughout the world, more than 0.8 kilometers in height, out of which only 200 have been ever studied in detail.