At a depth of 1.883 meters in the Argentine Sea, a Patagonian lobster surprised the scientific team by getting between the robot and its offspring , in a scene as rare as it was revealing about the behavior of life in deep waters.
The sequence, broadcast live during the Schmidt Ocean Institute's oceanographic campaign in collaboration with CONICET , showed how the female perceived the vehicle as a threat and protected her eight offspring before confronting the device.
This is how the meeting developed
The ROV SuBastian , equipped with lights and arms, was examining a rock formation in front of Mar del Plata when the lobster appeared from the left of the frame, retraced its steps and stood before the camera next to its refuge.
Moments later, the juveniles emerged; the female pushed them into the cavity and adopted a defensive posture , with her claws open and her body tense, while the vehicle maintained the operational distance.
When researchers tried to collect a snail on the rock with the ROV's sampling vacuum, the mother reacted immediately: she hit the base of the robot and raised a cloud of sediment, momentarily reducing visibility.
After completing the shot, the team moved away from the cavity and refocused on the lobster to check its condition; in the live broadcast they clarified that the animal was not harmed and returned to its den normally.
This episode is part of the operations in the Mar del Plata Canyon , one of the most important underwater relief systems in the area, where the objective is to map canyons, study vulnerable ecosystems and document little-known communities.
What we know about Thymops birsteini
The protagonist belongs to the family of nephropidae, with the scientific name Thymops birsteini , a cold-water lobster from the South Atlantic that inhabits the shelf and slope, including the Patagonian areas of the Argentine Sea.
Its morphology includes two large pincers , four pairs of walking legs that help manipulate food, and an elongated tail or pleon that allows for a quick escape maneuver ; although it generally moves slowly, it can react abruptly to a nearby threat.
The ROV SuBastian and the mission
The remotely operated vehicle ROV SuBastian , from the Schmidt Ocean Institute and deployed from the Falkor vessel, features high-power spotlights, cameras, manipulator arms and a suction system for controlled sampling without excessive direct contact.
The Continental Slope IV campaign brings together specialists from CONICET and other national institutes, along with the international team from SOI. The YouTube broadcasts attracted more than 70.000 viewers , who celebrated the animal's bravery and joked about its claws, while remaining mindful of the scientific value of the footage.
In addition to real-time images, 3D models and environmental analyses are generated , which, according to those in charge, will be published in open repositories such as CONICET Digital, OBIS and GenBank, and will be adapted for educational material in schools and museums.
Changes in the next stage of research
With the end of this phase approaching, the Falkor, in a new stage of research based in Montevideo, will be coordinated by the University of the Republic of Uruguay, with the participation of local institutions, before returning to Argentine waters and continuing with several additional campaigns.
The scene in which the lobster defends its offspring demonstrates maternal instinct in the depths and also the potential of technology to document natural interactions without excessive intervention, providing valuable knowledge about remote species and habitats.