Thousands of New Marine Species Discovered in Global Ocean Census Effort

Thousands of previously unknown species have been discovered lurking and thriving in our oceans, as part of a scientific effort to catalogue and discover 100,000 new species.

While the collected eyes of humanity were fixed on Artemis II's journey to the stars in early April, scientists at The Ocean Census, Nippon Foundation and Nekton were focused on what lay beneath the waves.

"We spend billions searching for life on Mars or going to the dark side of the moon," said Ocean Census director Oliver Steeds.

"Discovering the majority of life on our own planet — in our own ocean — costs a fraction of that.

2025 to 2026 was a bumper year for the organisation, which launched in 2023, with 1,121 marine species discovered including a ghost shark, or chimaera, and the "life in a glass castle" symbiotic worm.

The worm was discovered on a submarine volcano and named for the intricate chambers of a glass sponge within which it makes its home.

The organisation said these discoveries marked a 54 per cent rise in the number of species identified from 2024 to 2025.

From April last year to March 31, 2026, 13 expeditions and nine species discovery workshops contributed to this global research effort.

Dr Michelle Taylor, head of science at Ocean Census, said researchers were in a "race against time" to understand and protect ocean life before it disappeared.

"For too long, thousands of species have remained in a scientific 'limbo' because the pace of discovery couldn't keep up," Dr Taylor said.

"By accelerating discovery and sharing data globally, we are not just finding new life, but generating the evidence needed to drive global science and policy at a critical moment."

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the US, as much as 70 per cent of the sea floor remains unmapped with an estimated 700,000 to 1,000,000 species still undiscovered.

Joining the Ocean Census in its efforts was the CSIRO, which discovered the new species of ghost shark.

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CSIRO scientist Dr Candice Untiedt said at the time that voyages of discovery were essential to "deepening our understanding of Australia's marine biodiversity".

It is understood a third of all sharks, rays and chimaeras are vulnerable to extinction.

Also discovered, off the coast of Timor Leste, was a new species of ribbon worm scientists believe may be vital to medical research.

"Beyond their ecological role as predators, these worms may have biomedical significance; some of their unique toxins have been investigated as potential treatments for Alzheimer's and schizophrenia," Ocean Census reported.

Ocean Census co-founder Nekton has set a goal of discovering 100,000 new marine species and Ocean Census aims to identify species to inform future conservation efforts.

Mitsuyuku Unno, executive director of The Nippon Foundation, said global collaborations like Ocean Census were essential to furthering discovery efforts.

"Through expeditions reaching polar depths to tropical seas, and the science to turn samples into discoveries, this team is revealing the extraordinary richness of ocean life," Mr Unno said.