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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Yes—but not at exactly 8,000 meters. Scientists recovered four specimens of Dulcibella camanchaca, a newly identified predatory amphipod, at 7,902 meters in the Atacama Trench. The discovery is the first report of a large, active predatory amphipod from the trench’s extreme depths, not the first evidence of any predator at that depth anywhere in the ocean.
What is Dulcibella camanchaca?
Dulcibella camanchaca is a crustacean in the amphipod group, related to the small, shrimp-like animals found in marine environments. The specimens were nearly 4 centimeters long. DNA and physical characteristics showed that the animal is not only a new species, but also belongs to a new genus. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution describes the discovery and expedition in its 2024 announcement; the peer-reviewed study is identified by DOI 10.1080/14772000.2024.2416430.
The name refers to darkness. Study co-lead Dr. Johanna Weston, a hadal ecologist at WHOI, said it was chosen to evoke the deep, dark ocean and the languages of peoples from the Andes region.
How deep was it found, and where?
Four animals were collected at 7,902 meters (about 4.9 miles) in the Atacama, or Peru–Chile, Trench during a 2023 Integrated Deep-Ocean Observing System expedition aboard the research vessel Abate Molina. The trench lies off northern Chile and reaches depths beyond 8,000 meters. The sample depth was 98 meters short of 8,000 meters, so it is accurate to call the find nearly 8,000 meters deep—not an animal collected at exactly that depth.
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Is it the deepest predator ever discovered?
No such broad “first” is supported. The finding’s significance is narrower: it is the first large, active predatory amphipod reported from the extreme depths of the Atacama Trench. Amphipod remains had already been recovered from more than 8,000 meters in the Puerto Rico Trench, according to a publication record in the University of Western Australia Research Repository. That earlier record does not establish the same kind of observation as this discovery of a living, active predator identified as a new genus and species.
How can it hunt under such extreme conditions?
D. camanchaca has specialized raptorial appendages—limbs adapted to seize prey—and hunts smaller amphipods. Its capture demonstrates predatory behavior in a food-limited hadal environment, where the deep ocean trench floor receives little food from above. The report does not provide a measured pressure or temperature for the collection site, nor does it quantify how the animal’s body tolerates those conditions; claims about its specific physiological adaptations would go beyond the published evidence described here.
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How was the animal collected?
Researchers used an untethered lander carrying baited traps, which descended to the trench floor and was recovered with the specimens. After retrieval, the animals were frozen and examined at the Universidad de Concepción. DNA analysis alongside examination of their physical form supported the new genus and species identification. The expedition therefore produced recovered specimens for taxonomic study, rather than relying only on a camera sighting.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why does the discovery matter?
A new genus and species at the Atacama Trench adds evidence that this trench has distinctive, endemic biodiversity. Four collected specimens establish the presence of the animal at the sampled site, but they do not reveal its population size, how widely it is distributed, or whether its abundance is changing. Dr. Carolina González, an IMO co-lead for sample collection and DNA analysis, said the collaborative identification highlights ongoing biodiversity discoveries and the value of continued exploration in Chile’s nearby deep ocean.
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