An underwater robot situated on the deep sea floor of the South Atlantic near the city of Mar del Plata has captured the attention of hundreds of thousands of Argentines after new specimens have been found, some of whom resembling characters from SpongeBob SquarePants. 

The National Scientific and Technical Research Council (Conicet) launched the ‘Underwater Oases of Mar del Plata Canyon’ expedition of the depths of Mar del Plata in collaboration with the Schmidt Ocean Institute. The objective of the dive is to explore the underwater region of high biodiversity, where little knowledge exists up until now.

The live streams have quickly captured the attention of millions across Argentina due to the large number of unknown marine animals that appeared. Many onlookers highlighted a creature they dubbed an orange “estrella culona” (fat-bottomed starfish, by its Spanish translation) because the folds between its arms resembled a buttocks. Its body position........

© Buenos Aires Herald