An expedition led by Dr. Cherisse Du Preez, a deep-sea marine biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, documented an extensive deep-sea nursery for the Pacific white skate (Bathyraja spinosissima) on an ancient underwater volcano off the Canadian coast. Researchers discovered thousands of leathery egg cases among deep-sea corals, with an estimated count of potentially over 100,000 eggs at the summit. This finding marks the first video-recorded observation of such a large skate nursery, contrasting significantly with previously reported discoveries of only a dozen or two eggs. The Pacific white skate is a deep-dwelling species, typically found between 800 and 2,900 meters below sea level, and its eggs are known to take approximately four years to hatch. The seamount currently lacks protected status, which leaves this habitat vulnerable to potential deep-sea fishing and other human activities.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/pets-animals/ancient-underwater-volcano-in-canada-shocking-animal-laid-thousands-of-eggs-inside-9962794/