The expedition at a depth of 2,000m in the southern West Java Sea (Indonesia) has shown that there are many strange creatures in the world that humans have not yet discovered and the ocean is a place always full of mysteries.

Recently, a research team from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) participated in the 2018 South Java Deep Sea Ecosystem Expedition (SJADES 2018) to explore the deep seas. in the south of West Java (Indonesia).

“Spiky” crab, 8cm long, found at a depth of 800m – (Photo: SJADES 2018).

The research team used nets as well as special equipment to capture microscopic creatures.

The explorers departed from Jakarta, crossed the Sunda Strait and docked at Cilacap port in the south of West Java province, Indonesia – (Photo: SJADES 2018).

“For some unknown reason, we have almost no information about deep-sea creatures in that area. We cannot silently look at what we do not know” – commented Professor Peter Ng .

The results obtained exceeded Professor Ng’s expectations. The most notable discovery is that there are up to 12 species of crustaceans with strange shapes including shrimp, crabs,… and more than 40 other species of creatures that are completely new to the list of known creatures of Indonesia.

Here are some strange-shaped species found by researchers participating in SJADES 2018:

Scientists have found three species of spider crabs with strange shapes in the deep sea of southwest Java. In the photo is the “Big Ears” crab, 6cm long, found at a depth of more than 1,000m – (Photo: SJADES 2018).

The “Clinger” crab, 6cm long, lives at a depth of 800 – 1,200m – (Photo: SJADES 2018).

During the expedition, the team also found more than 40 species of resident shrimp, with some species having a different appearance than the resident shrimp found in shallow waters. In the photo is a shell-dwelling shrimp with emerald green eyes, 3cm long – (Photo: SJADES 2018).

A species of shrimp that is 12-15cm in size, found at a depth of 370 – (Photo: SJADES 2018).

And this is the giant sea cockroach Bathynomus, with a size of 30cm, found at a depth of 1,300m – (Photo: SJADES 2018).

This is a strange species of shrimp, 8cm long, found at a depth of 1,013m – (Photo: SJADES 2018).

A species of goby with a strange shape, 5-6cm long, was discovered at a depth of 182m – (Photo: SJADES 2018).

The octopus was named Dumbo because its shape resembles a favorite Disney character – (Photo: SJADES 2018).

Three-legged fish with special “antenna” fins and wires that help balance and detect prey – (Photo: SJADES 2018).