According to the Schmidt Ocean Institute, a team of Latin American and European scientists identified 57 new species and 5 new genera in just two weeks! Most interestingly, one discovery from a 2025 mission they analyzed, though not a new species, is back in the news: Meet the starfish that strongly resembles Patrick Star—the beloved dunderhead companion of children’s cartoon protagonist SpongeBob SquarePants.
The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census led the Species Discovery Workshop, which resulted in the identifications, in partnership with the Schmidt Ocean Institute. It took place in Buenos Aires from July 13-24, 2026. Those involved examined deep-sea biological samples, mostly from the Schmidt Ocean Institute Underwater Oasis of the Mar del Plata Canyon expedition.
The expedition ran from July 23 to August 12, 2025, aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel Falkor (too), with help from the remotely operated vehicle SuBastian.
A Patrick Star Look-Alike and a ‘Loki’ Sea Cucumber Made This Ocean Expedition Hard to Forget
Over 4 million people witnessed the 2025 deep-sea live stream, where “Patrick Star” first captivated the public. Fortunately, however, he was left to his own devices rather than captured. During the event, viewers compared a crab to a “drag queen.” One look-alike deemed a new species this year was “Loki the Sea Cucumber” (Peniagone sp.), whose horn-like appendages earned him his name.
Many will remember that SpongeBob SquarePants creator Stephen Hillenburg (1961-2018) was a marine biologist, so it’s a shame he couldn’t be around to see the findings.
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