This week, Chile announced the largest marine protected area in the Americas, hundreds of miles off its coast about the size of Italy. Named the Nazca-Desventuradas National Park, which makes up 8% of the ocean areas worldwide off-limits to fishing, this reserve is home to an amazing and eclectic variety of animals, many species found nowhere else on Earth.
“We don’t really understand how these animals behave and live underwater, and we need to because you can’t protect what you don’t know.”
With the help of National Geographic’s Pristine Seas Project, The Chilean government and Nazca-Desventuradas revealed 10 of the strangest animals inhabiting its waters, including a new mystery fish belonging to the chimera group only found in extremely deep waters:
Watch the full video at National Geographic