A team
of Japanese scientists has discovered a
new species
of polychaete, a
type of marine annelid
worm, 9 - meters deep underwater near Japan's Syowa Station in Antarctica, providing a good opportunity to study how animals adapt to extreme environments.
Including sponge - like animals (850 to 635 million years ago, which pre-date the end
of the hypothesized Snowball - Earth -
type Marinoan glaciation — 2010 discussion at: Maloof et al, 2010; NSF press release; Hillary Parker, News at Princeton, 2010; and James O'Donoghue,
New Scientist, August 17, 2010),
worms, molluscs, and arthropods (joint - footed animals), invertebrates are among the most successful animals today.