Scientists reported the discovery of ‘The Trapping Zone’ in the island nation Maldives, India’s southern neighbour.

• This Trapping Zone is a new ecosystem, discovered some 500 meters beneath the surface, is being referred to as ‘as oasis of oceanic life’.
• It was discovered by scientists under the Nekton Maldives Mission.
• Nektons are pelagic faunal species (i.e. animals living in the open seas away from the shore) that are capable of swimming independently of wind and water currents. Some examples include bony fishes and sharks (under chordate nekton category), octopuses and squids (under molluscan nekton category) and shrimps and lobsters (under arthropod nekton category).
• The scientists spotted the ecosystem using the camera on the submersible named Omega Seamaster II. Biological samples were also collected for further research.
• The survey revealed the presence of several mega-faunal predators like sharks and other large marine fishes that feed on micro-nekton. According to the scientists, these organisms are trapped at the 500 m mark, against the subsea landscape.