Scientists gather mysterious creatures from icy Antarctic waters Organisms that are stalk-like in structure and resemble glass tulips, spotted in Antarctic waters in January, among others. SYDNEY: Scientists investigating the icy waters of Antarctica said on Tuesday they had collected mysterious creatures including giant sea spiders and huge worms in the murky depths. Australian experts taking part in an international programme to take a census of marine life in the ocean at the far south of the world collected specimens from up to 2,000 m beneath the surface, and said many may of them have never been seen before. Some of the animals far under the sea grow to unusually large sizes, a phenomenon called gigantism that scientists still do not fully understand. "Gigantism is very common in Antarctic waters,' Martin Riddle, the Australian Antarctic Division scientist who led the expedition, said in a statement. "We have collected huge worms, giant crustaceans and sea spiders the size of dinner plates.' The specimens were being sent to universities and museums around the world for identification, tissue sampling and DNA studies. "Not all of the creatures that we found could be identified and it is very likely that some new species will be recorded as a result of these voyages,' said Graham Hosie, head of the census project. The expedition is part of an international effort to map life forms in the Antarctic Ocean, also known as the Southern Ocean, and to study the impact of forces such as climate change on the undersea environment. Three ships