Rapa Nui, more popularly referred to as Easter Island, is known for its isolated culture and towering stone statues.

But when researchers boarded the research vessel Falkor (Too) and set out to the island off the coast of Chile, they weren’t searching for evidence of ancient history.

The Schmidt Ocean Institute’s ship was equipped with the ROV SuBastian, a deep-sea remotely operated vehicle used to explore the seamounts of the Pacific Ocean.

During a 2024 voyage, ROV SuBastian was released to the depths of the Rapa Nui Multiple Use Marine Coastal Protected Area — and discovered a species new to science.

Images taken from the vehicle showed a reddish spiny sea urchin perched on the rocky bottoms of the Pukao seamount at a depth of about 1,100 feet, according to a study published Aug.

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