00:00The ocean undoubtedly remains the most mysterious part of our planet.
00:04With only a tiny fraction of it explored, there are always new and interesting sea creatures to be discovered.
00:11Still, when a group of scientists in Australia recently made an astonishing discovery,
00:17even they couldn't believe their luck.
00:19The creature they discovered was a ruby sea dragon,
00:22and it was the first time one had ever been spotted in the wild.
00:27You just have to see this for yourself.
00:29It's hard to believe that a critter like this exists.
00:48Sea Dragons are marine fish in the Cygnathidae family,
00:52which also includes such creatures as pipefishes, pipehorses, and seahorses.
00:58However, there are only three species of sea dragons currently known to scientists,
01:03and they're mostly very rare.
01:06One species, the common sea dragon, is otherwise known as the weedy sea dragon,
01:11or by its scientific name, Philopteryx teneolithus.
01:15Its body even has leaf-like parts that make it easy for it to camouflage itself.
01:22Then there's the leafy sea dragon, which is also known as the Glauert's sea dragon,
01:27or by its scientific name, Phycoderus equus.
01:31This creature is also able to blend into its surroundings by camouflaging itself.
01:35This time, it's mimicking floating seaweed.
01:39As incredible as these creatures are,
01:42the ruby sea dragon is largely considered the most special sea dragon of all.
01:46Amazingly, it had never been encountered in the wild.
01:49Well, until recently, that is.
01:52Scientists only discovered the species recently,
01:55with the first description of it appearing in 2015.
01:58Earlier in 2007, one was found lifeless on a shore,
02:02misidentified, and then placed among other sea dragons in an Australian museum.
02:08It's difficult to overstate the historical and scientific importance
02:12of finally witnessing such a rare creature in its natural habitat.
02:16The ruby sea dragon is so uncommon that its numbers haven't been evaluated yet
02:21by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
02:25This wasn't the first time the scientists were lucky enough
02:28to capture a creature in the wild that had long eluded them, either.
02:31Take the giant squid, for example,
02:33which was so rare that some even questioned its existence.
02:38It wasn't until 2004 pictures of a live giant squid in its own habitat
02:44were finally taken by Japanese researchers.
02:47Even then, it wasn't until 2012 that a live adult squid was filmed in its natural habitat.
02:54Though the giant squid might be more famous than the ruby sea dragon,
02:58they're both pretty incredible.
02:59Imagine how the scientists must have felt when they laid eyes on these amazing creatures.
03:06Have a great day.
03:09Have a great day.
03:18Have a great day.