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The “bizarre deep-sea creatures” seen near Port Pegasus off Rakiura (Stewart Island) were unusually large sea squirts, or ascidians—not yet a confirmed new species. Researchers encountered the white, pink, yellow and blue animals at about 115 metres during a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) survey. Some were reported to reach roughly 30 centimetres in height.
What did the researchers find?
The animals were described as smooth, egg-shaped forms standing on the seafloor. Their colors reportedly ranged from white and pink to yellow and blue, making them conspicuous on the reef. The Daily Galaxy, in a report published April 7, 2025, said some measured about 30 centimetres tall.
Professor James Bell, identified in that report as the project’s principal marine biologist, described seeing “all these really unusual ‘egg’ shapes on the seafloor” off Port Pegasus. Closer inspection showed they were large sea squirts that the team had not found elsewhere in Aotearoa, according to the same secondary report.
Where and how deep were they found?
Port Pegasus, Rakiura
The sighting took place near Port Pegasus at the southern end of Rakiura (Stewart Island), south of New Zealand’s main islands. Researchers used an ROV to examine a reef beyond normal diver access and record the surrounding habitat.
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About 115 metres below the surface
The reported depth was approximately 115 metres. That is deep for ordinary recreational diving, but it is more precise to describe the site as a mesophotic reef environment than to imply the animals came from the dark abyssal deep sea. Mesophotic reefs occupy a middle-light zone where enough sunlight remains for distinctive reef communities.
Are these sea squirts a newly discovered species?
Not as a formal scientific finding. The April 2025 report presented the possibility that the animals could represent a species not previously recorded by the team, but it also said DNA sequencing and detailed morphological comparisons were still required.
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No formal species name or taxonomic description was established in the reviewed reporting. Until those analyses are completed and published, the safest identification is large, unusual sea squirts (ascidians) observed off Rakiura.
What makes the observation scientifically interesting?
Sea squirts can dominate mesophotic communities
Victoria University of Wellington’s 2025 overview of New Zealand’s mesophotic reefs reported that sea squirts dominated communities off Rakiura. The same overview emphasized that reef communities vary by region: anemone stands occur around Wellington, red-coral beds along the Fiordland coast, and coral “reefs” in Northland.
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That regional pattern matters because the Rakiura animals are part of a broader, varied reef ecosystem rather than an isolated curiosity seen in an otherwise uniform seafloor. The university’s account provides ecological context for sea-squirt dominance but does not identify the particular animals in the news report to species.
ROVs reveal habitats divers cannot routinely reach
An ROV supplies video and observations at depths that are difficult or unsafe for ordinary diving. In this case it enabled researchers to see the animals in place and document their reef setting. The vehicle was an observation and sampling platform; the footage alone did not establish a taxonomic identity.
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What is known—and still uncertain?
| Question | What the reporting establishes | What remains unresolved |
|---|---|---|
| What were the animals? | Large sea squirts (ascidians), with egg-like shapes and white, pink, yellow and blue coloration. | Their exact species identity. |
| How large were they? | Some were reported at about 30 centimetres tall. | Whether that size describes typical adults or only the largest individuals observed. |
| Where were they found? | Near Port Pegasus off Rakiura (Stewart Island), on a reef. | Their full geographic range and population size. |
| How deep? | Approximately 115 metres. | Whether the animals occupy a wider depth range at the site. |
| Are they a new species? | The possibility was raised in a secondary report. | DNA sequencing, comparative morphology and a formal scientific description. |
Why “deep-sea” needs a qualification
“Deep-sea” is attention-grabbing shorthand for the news story, but the measured observation was at roughly 115 metres, not in the permanently dark deep ocean. At that depth, light levels are low and conditions differ sharply from shallow reefs, while still fitting the mesophotic category used in New Zealand reef research.
Using the measured depth avoids two common errors: treating a popular headline as a precise oceanographic classification and assuming that every unfamiliar animal at depth is a newly evolved deep-ocean species.
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What happens next?
Researchers would need to compare the animals’ physical features with described ascidian species and analyze DNA from suitable specimens. Those results could show that the Rakiura animals are a known species with an unusual appearance, a regional population that warrants further study, or a species new to science. The reviewed sources do not report a completed result.
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