After more than 20 years of study, scientists are ready to say what they found off Monterey's coast

"Thanks to [the research institute's] advanced underwater technology, we were able to prepare the most comprehensive description of a deep-sea animal ever made," Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute senior scientist Bruce Robison said in a news release.

"We've invested more than 20 years in understanding the natural history of this fascinating species of nudibranch. Our discovery is a new piece of the puzzle that can help better understand the largest habitat on Earth."

Robison was one of the leaders in the effort to describe the animal, which researchers initially had difficulty putting in a group. Eventually, they were able to more closely examine the animal in the lab and confirmed it was a nudibranch.

The mystery mollusk is the first known nudibranch to live in a deep-water column, specifically in the ocean's midnight zone - open water below 1,000 meters.

Read at Los Angeles Times