Ladybug amphipods

From toadfish and amphipods to a vivid siphonophores, the underwater mountains comprising the Nazca and Salas y Gómez Ridges host amazingly diverse life forms. The majority of both ridges lie outside of any country’s jurisdiction — in the high seas — leaving these distinctive and understudied ecosystems vulnerable to human exploitation from climate change, plastic pollution, overfishing, and potential deep-sea mining. Many experts in marine protection and policy believe that the Nazca and Salas

Amphipods feeding in the Mariana Trench

Barrel amphipod

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Amphipod eyes