Photos:"Spectacular" Deep-Sea Species Found off Canada

An unidentified purple octopus (pictured) is one of 11 potentially new species found this month during a deep-sea expedition off Canada's Atlantic coast, scientists say.

(Relatedpictures:"Surprising Creatures Found Deep off Australia.")

Still at sea, a team of Canadian and Spanish researchers is using a remotely operated vehicle calledROPOSfor dives offNewfoundlandwith a maximum depth of about 9,800 feet (3,000 meters).

The 20-day expedition aims to uncover relationships between cold-watercoraland other bottom-dwelling creatures in a pristine yet"alien"environment, according to theresearchers' blog.

"It's been really spectacular,"Ellen Kenchington, research scientist with the Fisheries Department of Canada—one of the organizations involved in the project—told Canada'sCTV Newswebsite.

"It's really changing our perception of the diversity that's out there. ... We're seeing new species in deeper waters."

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