has migrated the subducted plateau southward. Fauna In 2012, deep sea researchers discovered individuals of a species of giant amphipod at the trench's lowest depths. Unlike most amphipods, which are approximately 2.5 cm (1 inch) long, this species reaches up to 34 cm (13 inches) in length, and is milky-white. The second-deepest fish, the hadal snailfish Notoliparis kermadecensis, is endemic to the trench and occupies a very limited depth range, . A species of pearlfish, Echiodon neotes, has been caught in the Kermadec Trench at a depth of . All other known pearlfishes live in the range and the presence of E. neotes at this depth remains unexplained. Exploration In May 2014, the Nereus, an unmanned research submarine operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), imploded due to high pressure at a depth of 9,990 metres while exploring the Kermadec Trench. In December 2022, a research team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research reached the bottom of the Scholl Deep nearly 10 km below the surface. See also Kermadec Islands Monowai Seamount Tonga-Kermadec Ridge References Notes Bibliography External links An animation of a 3D model of the Kermadec Trench Zealandia Geography of the Kermadec Islands Geography of the New Zealand seabed Oceanic trenches of the Pacific Ocean Subduction zones