Manitoba university student discovers new species of zooplankton in Arctic

Picture of University of Manitoba between Extended Education building and Max Bell. (Photo By Teles – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0)

WINNIPEG — A University of Manitoba graduate student has discovered a mini monster in Canada’s Arctic.

Aurelie Delaforge found a tiny crustacean in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut.

It’s a new form of zooplankton and is part of the Monstrilloida family, which is derived from the word “monster.”

The university says the species is mostly translucent, has eight legs, one weak eye, no mouth, two antennae and is only two millimetres long.

There are more than 160 different Monstrilloida zooplankton around the world, but Delaforge’s discovery marks the first species from the Monstrilloida family to be found in Canada’s Arctic.

Delaforge captured the species while taking samples from the ocean for her PhD thesis on what causes plankton blooms under the sea ice.

Coincidentally, she took the samples during May and June, which is the two-month window for these animals to take adult form. During the rest of the year, these species would be nearly invisible, the university said.

She sent the specimen to Mexico where it was confirmed to be a Monstrilloida.

“When we study the Arctic, there are still things we don’t know,” said Delaforge. “This is a good example. I find this pretty cool. It’s not an everyday thing, discovering new species and it feels incredible.”