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Researchers just revealed this 20-armed creature found off the coast of Antarctica
Researchers in Antarctica have discovered a new species with 20 arms and a strawberry-like shape.
An article in the journal Invertebrate Systematics published in July described the creature which has been dubbed Promachocrinus fragarius, named after the Latin word for strawberry due to its resemblance to the shape.
The Promachocrinus fragarius, a type of Antarctic feather star, can have 20 or 10 arms. While the report did not provide measurements of the animal's size (only describing it as "large"), it said it can range in color from “purplish” to “dark reddish.”
Antarctic feather stars live at ocean depths ranging from 65 to 6500 feet, according to the report.
Three scientists with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the University of California, San Diego completed expeditions between 2008 and 2017 in search of what they call "cryptic biodiversity."
"The Southern Ocean has unique environmental conditions that may drive biodiversity," said the report, written by Emily L. McLaughlin, Nerida G. Wilson and Greg W. Rouse.
Overall, the report identified four new species in the region, according to research Greg Rouse.
注释：
dub: v
表示"把...叫做，给...起浑名叫...，把…戏称为"，means "give a nickname to sb"，如：The papers dubbed them The Fab Four'. 报刊给他们起了个绰号叫｀四绝＇.
expedition: n
表示" 远征；"，means " organized journey or voyage with a particular aim"，如：They equipped themselves for the expedition. 他们为远征整装。
cryptic: adj
表示"隐秘的；秘密的"，如：A cryptic message said France needs to pull troops out of Afghanistan.一个神秘消息要求法国需要从阿富汗撤军。
中文简要说明：
人类探索地球多年，对极地和深海仍所知甚少，最近科学家在南极海洋发现一个新物种，外观貌似草莓，却延伸出20只羽星状触手，体型相当巨大，宛如外星生物一般，在网络上引发热烈讨论。
根据「今日美国」、《每日邮报》报导，科学家依照这种生物的外形，将它命名为海草莓（Promachocrinus fragarius，暂译），属于南极海羊齿（feather star，亦称海羽毛）的一种，是最古老原始的棘皮动物。
海草莓近看长相诡异，细长的腕臂上分成多个小节，可以任意卷曲、摆动，与海星或海参等海洋无脊椎生物相似，但体型却大上许多。科学家指出，海草莓色彩鲜艳，颜色从紫红到暗红不等，游起泳来有如海中的大毽子一般，形容它具有「超凡脱俗的气息」。
报导刊出后，在网络上引发不小讨论，有网友看了响应「发现新品种外星人」、「可能是从陨石来的」、「快逃啊」，也有网友认真表示，这是他看过「让人最不舒服」的生物。
海草莓生活的范围相当广，从海平面下20到2000公尺不等。科学家说，他们在这次探勘中一共发现8种独特物种，其中4种在过去从未被命名，多亏了生物技术的发展，如今他们已能针对海洋生物的DNA和外观做详细研究，适当加以分类。
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