Investigating Bathydevius and its adaptations could reveal more about the midnight zone, which is the largest habitat on Earth and accounts for 70% of all seawater on the planet. A study describing the new species published Tuesday in the journal Deep Sea Research Part I. “The deep water column is maybe the last place you’d expect to find a nudibranch,” Robison said. The midnight zone is cold and dark and very forbidding to us terrestrial creatures, yet it is filled with life, albeit life forms adapted to a very different set of challenges than we face. The sea slug is bioluminescent, leading it to look "starry" when threatened.

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Persons: Bathydevius, Bruce Robison, Steven Haddock, “ We’ve, ”, Robison, Haddock, Mariana Trench, ” Robison, Bathydevius caudactylus, ” Haddock, smothers, “, Bioluminescence Organizations: CNN —, Aquarium Research, Aquarium Research Institute, Tiburon, ”, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration Locations: Monterey, Monterey Bay, Coast, North America, Oregon, Southern California, Mariana, Mt, Everest