Picture shown the giant starfish found in the Ross Sea. Fisheries scientists who conducted the most comprehensive survey to date of New Zealand's Antarctic waters were surprised by the size of some specimens found, including jellyfish with 12-foot tentacles, 2-foot-wide starfish, large sea spiders and huge sea snails.
The survey was part of the International Polar Year program involving 23 countries in 11 voyages to survey marinelife and habitats around Antarctica. The program hopes to set benchmarks for determining the effects of global warming on Antarctica, researchers said.