A team of scientists was exploring a **submarine volcano** in the Pacific Ocean and came across an **unprecedented discovery**.
On the mountain located **1500 meters deep** in the sea, they found a **massive nursery of white skates**. There were thousands of giant eggs.
## Unprecedented find in a submarine volcano
Researchers from **Pêches et Océans Canada** have been exploring this underwater mountain since 2019, which rises **1100 meters from the seabed**. It covers an area of 2000 square kilometers.
According to the group of scientists, the **geothermal activity of the volcano** became the ideal place for these animals (Bathyraja spinosissima) to lay their eggs.
Initially, it was thought that the structure was inactive and that its environment **lacked thermal activity**, but the scientists’ analysis now shows otherwise.
The heat emanating from the volcano creates an ideal habitat for various **marine species**, especially for the white skates of the Pacific.
Biologists identified at the top of the volcano an unprecedented number of skate eggs, **with a diameter of approximately 50 centimeters**.
Researcher **Cherisse Du Preez**, in statements to the publication *Science Post France*, described how impressive the find was.
“It’s something never seen before,” she said. Experts believe that the proximity to the volcanic heat source **accelerates the development of embryos**, shortening the incubation time, which under normal conditions can last four years.
## An ecosystem around the volcanic heat
The Pacific white skate, which can exceed **two meters in length** and **45 kg**, is a species that is not well studied due to its habitat in extremely deep waters, between **800 and 2900 meters**.
**Their eggs stand out for their unusual size**, compared to their body, allowing them to store a large amount of essential nutrients for their development.
Scientists compared this discovery with previous observations made in **2018** near **hydrothermal vents in the Galápagos Islands**. They had also found skate eggs in thermal waters there.
However, the magnitude of the nursery discovered in the Canadian volcano is significantly larger and **confirms that these creatures** developed a unique strategy to take advantage of geothermal heat in their reproduction.
## What is a submarine volcano
A submarine volcano is a geological structure found under the sea that **emits magma, steam, and gases**. It forms when there is a fissure on the ocean floor.
However, they behave differently from terrestrial volcanoes.
It is rare for them to have explosive eruptions, and most **do not alter the ocean surface**.
In addition, the magma solidifies much faster and **turns into volcanic glass**.
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