A team of researchers from the British Geological Survey discovered by chance the existence of living creatures 3,000 feet (900 meters) under the ice in Antarctica.

In a report published by the American Business Insider website, the author Marian Guineau says that scientists previously believed that no form of life could be found in such a harsh environment, where extreme cold, complete darkness and lack of food sources.

Living creatures in the depths of Antarctica

These organisms were discovered on a rock beneath the Filchner-Ronne ice shelf, after experts from the British Geological Survey dug a well 2860 feet into the ice, then descended another 1,549 feet in water.

Dr. Hugh Griffiths, a member of the research team, said in a video on Twitter, "The area beneath these ice sheets may be one of the least known habitats on Earth, as we did not think that these types of animals, such as sponges, could be found there."

The Felshner-Rhone escarpment is a huge floating ice sheet stretching over 1,500 square kilometers, but only a small area equivalent to a tennis court has been explored.

Some enormous icebergs separate from this plate and drift away, and in December 2020, one of these mountains nearly collided with fertile land where seals and penguins live.

Living things were discovered on a rock below the Felshner-Ronne Ice Shelf (Google Maps)

Accidentally discovered

The author pointed out that the British geological team was not looking for organisms in the depths of Antarctica, but was digging the ice sheet to collect samples from the sea floor.

While descending into the depths, the search camera collided with one of the rocks, and the scientists discovered after watching the video footage that there were a number of living creatures in the place.

Griffiths told the British newspaper The Guardian, "We did not think at all to search for any form of life, because we did not believe that there will be an existence in the first place."

The video reveals two types of unknown animals, one of which has long legs, and the other is a round, sponge-like animal.

According to the author, previous studies have monitored life forms under the ice in Antarctica, and a few animals have been found, such as fish, worms and jellyfish.

The scientists believed that the deeper the search was far from light, the less likely it was to find living creatures.

These animals were found about 260 km from the open sea (British Antarctic Survey)

Griffiths said that the animals that were found are about 260 kilometers from the open sea, adding in a press release, "Our discovery raises more questions than it provides answers. How did (the animals) get there? And since when? And what do they eat?"

And the British team of scientists explained that the next step is to try to monitor whether these are other types of animals in that environment.

"To answer our questions, we have to find a way to get close to these animals and their environment, within 260 kilometers of the ships where our laboratories are located," Griffiths said.