A “large” sea creature – with “blade-like” claws – discovered as a new species. To see the

The scientists boarded a submersible and dove into the depths of the South China Sea. Thousands of feet below the surface, they encountered a “large” creature covered in thorns.

It turned out to be a new species.

Researchers explored the South China Sea through a series of dives on a manned submersible in March 2021, according to a study published May 3 in the peer-reviewed journal Raffles Bulletin of Zoology.

During one of these dives, researchers found a “large” crab on a coral and captured it, according to the study. Returning to the surface, they took a closer look at the deep-sea animal and realized they had discovered a new species: Gordonopsis mazupo, or Mazu-bearing crab.

The Mazu carrier crab is considered “large” and has “very long” legs with “blade-like” claws, according to the study. Co-author Peter Ng told McClatchy News that the crab’s body is about 1.2 inches long and its legs are more than 3.5 inches long. In total, the spinal-covered animal measures more than 8 inches in diameter.

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The photos show the pale orange coloring of a Mazu porter crab.

The researchers said they named the new species “after the Chinese goddess or grandmother of the sea, Mazu.”

So far, only one Mazu-bearing crab has been found on bamboo coral about 2,900 feet below the surface of the South China Sea, according to the study. The South China Sea is a disputed body of water in Southeast Asia that borders Brunei, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

The new species was identified by its legs, spines, body shape, size and other subtle physical characteristics, according to the study. The researchers did not provide DNA analysis of the new species.

The research team included Peter Ng and Xinming Liu.

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