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It is often famously said that nearly 95% of the ocean has been left unexplored. While that claim is not entirely accurate, researchers travelling to the ocean’s depths frequently discover bizarre and wonderful new creatures. In a first mission of its kind, a team of international scientists researched the ocean floor near Australia’s east coast, and in the process caught a “faceless fish” that hadn’t been seen since 1873.

Found lurking at a dept of 4000 metres, the fish has nostrils and a mouth but no face, and was discovered during a mission named “Sampling the Abyss”, launched by Museums Victoria. Researchers have also said that data from this expedition could help measure the impact of climate change.

“We have seen some awesome stuff,” one of the scientists who was part of the mission said. “On the video camera we saw a kind of chimaera that whizzed by – that is very, very rare in Australian waters.” About the “faceless fish”, he said, “That is kind of the highlight so far for us. Apparently, it has got eyes way under the surface but really you cannot see any eyes.”