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A large iceberg broke away from Antarctica’s George VI Ice Shelf in December 2024, giving a nearby research team an unusual chance to investigate the seabed. Using a remotely operated vehicle and other tools, scientists documented sponges, icefish, giant sea spiders, octopuses and cup corals. The expedition did not identify a particular “tentacled creature” as the discovery, and some animals may require further study before their species can be confirmed.
What happened at the George VI Ice Shelf?
In December 2024, a large iceberg calved from the George VI Ice Shelf, a floating platform of ice on the Antarctic Peninsula. The event exposed seabed that had been covered by the shelf. It was not a crack opening into a cave full of animals: the expedition investigated seafloor at and near the remaining ice-shelf edge, while other habitat remained beneath ice.
The research vessel R/V Falkor (too), operated by Schmidt Ocean Institute, was nearby and redirected its work to the area. The team used ROV SuBastian, sonar soundings, sediment coring and water sampling. UCL’s account describes ten days of charting and characterising the environment; its image caption says the ROV observed the deep seafloor for eight days. UCL reported the expedition’s findings on 20 March 2025.
What did scientists find?
The seafloor supported a varied community, including sponges, icefish, giant sea spiders, octopuses and large, slow-growing cup corals. UCL’s captions describe separate observations: a sponge-and-anemone scene at nearly 230 metres deep and a deep-sea coral image at 1,200 metres. Those depths refer to different images, not a single habitat or a survey-wide range.
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Some specimens may be new to science, but that is a possibility, not a confirmed species identification. The material requires further analysis. Co-chief scientist Dr Patricia Esquete of the University of Aveiro said: “We didn’t expect to find such a beautiful, thriving ecosystem. Based on the size of the animals, the communities we observed have been there for decades, maybe even hundreds of years.”
Were the animals really “tentacled creatures”?
That phrase is vivid headline language, not a scientific identification of the George VI animals. UCL’s report names groups such as cup corals and octopuses, but does not identify a particular tentacled species as the subject of the discovery. Corals and anemones have tentacles; octopuses have arms. The account does not establish that one newly discovered tentacled animal explains the headline.
A separate 2006 dataset records seal-mounted camera images of invertebrate aggregations beneath the Riiser-Larsen Ice Shelf at Drescher Inlet. Those aggregations were thought likely to include cnidarians and isopods. That is a different place and study, not evidence identifying animals observed during the George VI expedition. The PANGAEA dataset record documents that earlier work.
Why is this discovery useful?
Mapping the seafloor and collecting sediment cores can help researchers reconstruct how Antarctic ice has grown and retreated over time. These records may put present-day changes into a longer context, but the survey does not by itself establish a specific climate cause or provide a complete census of life. UCL says full analysis of the data will take a few years.
Direct observations beneath Antarctic ice can also reveal how ice, ocean and seafloor interact. In a separate project, NASA described Icefin observations at Kamb Ice Stream and Thwaites Glacier: at Kamb, researchers observed melting and refreezing patterns; at Thwaites, they reported warm-water-driven melting and widening crevasses. Those findings explain why under-ice observations matter, but they are not results from the George VI site. NASA’s 2023 account of Icefin covers that work.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How does this compare with other Antarctic seabed discoveries?
Other studies show that Antarctic marine communities vary by location and by whether researchers examine seabed newly exposed by ice loss or habitat still beneath ice. They should not be conflated with the George VI expedition.
Quick Recap
| Study | Setting and focus | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| George VI expedition, reported 2025 | Seafloor at and near the remaining shelf edge after the December 2024 calving | ROV observations and mapping documented a diverse community; some specimens may need further identification. UCL account |
| Larsen A and B, reported 2007 | Seabed exposed after ice-shelf collapses | Australian Antarctic Division researchers reported recolonisation patterns that included sea squirts and glass sponges. Australian Antarctic Division report |
| O’Brien Bay, reported 2016 | A habitat beneath sea ice | Researchers used an ROV to study biodiversity in the context of ocean acidification; this was not the George VI site. Australian Antarctic Division report |
| Drescher Inlet, dataset published 2006 | Under the Riiser-Larsen Ice Shelf | Seal-camera images recorded aggregations thought likely to include cnidarians and isopods, a distinct observation from the 2024 calving event. PANGAEA record |
What the discovery does—and does not—tell us
- It shows: seabed near the George VI Ice Shelf supported a diverse animal community when the expedition surveyed it after the iceberg calved.
- It does not show: that scientists identified a specific new “tentacled creature,” surveyed every part of the newly exposed seabed, or completed analysis of all collected material.
- It may help establish: a better record of seafloor conditions and past ice change once mapping, samples and cores have been fully analysed.
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