Eighty previously unknown species of crustaceans and other marine life were discovered off Taiwan's eastern seaboard and in the South China Sea near Taiwan by researchers from local universities and research organizations, with assistance from France's Musee national d'Histoire naturelle and Japanese researchers.
Starting in 2001, with funding from the National Science Council, researchers from the National Taiwan Ocean University, Academia Sinica, National Chung Hsing University, the National Museum of Natural Science and other domestic and foreign institutions plumbed the depths of the Pacific Ocean near Taiwan with the help of a steel cable, nets and other collecting devices.
What they found astonished even seasoned marine biologists.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OFO CHEN TIEN-JEN
"Taiwan is surrounded on all sides by water rich in marine resources," National Taiwan Ocean University professor Chen Tien-jen (
Not anymore. Thanks to sophisticated new devices, the six-year exploration project was able to reach depths of 4,455m, allowing researchers to haul up from the cold, black waters rarely seen or previously unknown species, Chen said.
In all, 603 types of rare shrimp, fish and other crustaceans hitherto unseen in waters off Taiwan were discovered.
Named after Taiwan
Of that figure, 80 species were previously unknown. Five of the new species, including fish, shrimp and crabs, were given official names with the word "Taiwan" in them.
With 71 sub-species, Taiwan boasts the greatest variety of "grenadier," a prehistoric-looking deep-sea fish with razor-sharp teeth, of which there are 350 sub-species worldwide.
Taiwan also boasts the greatest variety of "squat lobsters," with 31 sub-species out of the 218 identified worldwide making their home deep in the waters off the country's east coast, he said.
While most countries shun Taiwan at the political level, its newly discovered marine biodiversity is attracting research organizations in droves, with plans to include the nation in other research projects, Chen said.
"Taiwan's rare biodiversity is something Taiwanese should be proud of and cherish," he said.
EYE ON 2027: The US military has placed equipment, materiel and personnel on the islands near China, a US officer said while warning about the threat from China The US Army Pacific (USARPAC) is deploying forces and equipment across the region based on the assumption that Beijing could possess the military capability and the intent to invade Taiwan by next year, a top US commander said on Tuesday. Speaking at the TechNet Indo-Pacific conference in Honolulu, US General Ronald Clark said that the threat posed by the so-called “Davidson window” is “still valid,” US military newspaper Stars and Stripes reported on Wednesday. The term stems from a 2021 warning by Admiral Philip Davidson, then-head of the US Indo-Pacific Command, that the threat of Chinese military action against Taiwan could materialize
‘ONE CHINA’ DECISION: A Cabinet spokesperson said that Pakistan had pandered to Beijing, and disregarded international rules and reality with the overflight ban The first Taiwanese commercial aircraft since restrictions were lifted flew over Pakistan yesterday morning following an abrupt U-turn by authorities to approve permits that were briefly revoked due to Islamabad’s “one China” policy. EVA Airways (長榮航空) Flight 65 from Taipei to Vienna entered Pakistani airspace at about 3:30am local time, Flightradar24 tracking data showed. All other Europe-bound EVA Air and China Airlines (華航) flights that departed late on Wednesday night into early yesterday morning opted to use Russian airspace, or go via India. The airlines had been forced to detour, including flying over Russia, since Sunday, after Pakistan shut its airspace to Taiwanese
BUILDING LINKS: Taipei and Europe should cooperate ‘so that no single supplier and no single government can hold our shared future hostage,’ an official said Beijing has no say in Taiwan’s partnerships with European countries, Formosa Club acting chair Rihards Kols, a member of the European Parliament (MEP), told a forum in Taipei yesterday. The Formosa Club, an interparliamentary group of European lawmakers, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs cohosted the Trusted Technology Forum for Democracies, focusing on artificial intelligence (AI) and drone technologies. In his opening speech, Kols said it is crucial that people meet and understand each other’s concerns, and work out how they can help. The club has brought European parliamentarians to the second annual forum to understand Taiwan better and seek
Taiwan yesterday welcomed and expressed appreciation for foreign ministers from the US, Japan and South Korea for emphasizing the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait at a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 in Atlanta, Georgia, on Friday. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Motegi Toshimitsu and South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun to review the progress of a trilateral partnership that aims to advance security and prosperity in a free and open Indo-Pacific region, the US Department of State said in a statement. They emphasized
RSS