On today’s episode of the Mongabay Newscast, we speak with deep sea biologist Diva Amon about what we know (and don’t know) about biodiversity at the bottom of the ocean.

Plans to mine the ocean floor are moving forward around the world, especially around hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the sea that create deposits of valuable metals like gold, silver, copper, manganese, cobalt, and zinc. But humans have explored less than 1 percent of the deep sea, so it’s fair to say that we really have no idea what’s at risk.

A recent study co-authored by Amon found that our limited knowledge of the biodiversity and ecosystems around these deep-sea hydrothermal vents is skewed geographically: We know much more about vents in the Northern Hemisphere than we do in regions like the Southern Ocean and the Indian Ocean. She says we must prioritize gathering more data in order to make accurate environmental assessments of the impacts mining will have on deep sea vent sites in the Southern Hemisphere.

Amon is here to talk about the findings of the study, what got her into studying the bottom of the ocean in the first place, and two of her favorite deep sea creatures: the Dumbo octopus and the headless chicken monster.

Here’s this episode’s top news:

• Eight species, including Tapanuli orangutan, make first appearance on list of most endangered primates
• Madagascar calls for assistance as fires imperil its protected areas
• Rare songbird recovers, moves off endangered species list

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Follow Mike Gaworecki on Twitter: @mikeg2001

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