Deep-sea Coral Photo Gallery

Class Anthozoa, Subclass Octocorallia (polyps with 8 pinnate tentacles)

One of the most elegantly beautiful deep-sea octocoral species is Iridogorgia magnispiralis, seen here on Nashville Seamount at 2130 meters depth. The colonies grow to >10 feet tall. You can see a cluster of white barnacles that have settled on the tip of this colony. (Image copyright of the Deep Atlantic Stepping Stones Research Team; IFE-URI; and NOAA)

This close-up of a Paramuricea octocoral colony growing at 1900 meters depth shows an example of the many interconnected polyps that characterize a colonial animal. Each individual polyp has a "mouth" surrounded by a ring of 8 tentacles. The 3 large white objects at the top center are barnacles that have settled on the coral. If you look closely you can see the "legs" (cirri) of the barnacle extending from the shell. (Image copyright of the Deep Atlantic Stepping Stones Research Team; IFE-URI; and NOAA)

A field of whip-like bamboo corals (Lepidisis sp.) stand 2 - 3 meters tall on Balanus Seamount at 1560 meters depth. (Image copyright of the Mountains in the Sea Research Team; IFE; and NOAA)

A bubble-gum coral (Paragorgia sp.) is being overgrown by yellow zoanthids, a type of colonial amemone, on xx Seamount at xx meters depth. If you look closely, you can also see a well-camoflauged orange brittle star on the left side of the colony. Many deep-sea corals have other invertebrates clinging to their branches. (Image copyright of the Mountains in the Sea Research Team; IFE; and NOAA)

A large sea fan (Primnoidae) grows next to a spiraling Rhodaniridogorgia (Chrysogorgiidae) at the upper edge of a wall on Balanus Seamount at 1900 meters depth. (Image copyright of the Deep Atlantic Stepping Stones Research Team; IFE-URI; and NOAA)

A deep-sea soft coral (Anthomastus sp.) shows about a dozen large polyps extended, revealing the eight pinnate tentacles that surround the "mouth," a characteristic of octocorals. (Image copyright of the Mountains in the Sea Research Team; WHOI; and NOAA)

A relatively common deep-sea octocoral species is Metallogorgia melanotrichos, which we refer to as the "pink parasol coral," seen here on xxx Seamount at xxx meters depth. The colony stands about a meter tall. (Image copyright of the Mountains in the Sea Research Team; IFE; and NOAA)

In this photo showing the manipulator arm of the ROV Hercules about to sample a branch from a deep-sea bamboo coral (Keratoisis sp.) on Bear Seamount at 1478 meters depth, you can see the exposed internal skeleton (bright white with black stripes, below the arm) where tissue has been removed, probably by a predatory seastar. On the still living parts of the colony, the polyps and tissue give the coral a pink hue. (Image copyright of the Mountains in the Sea Research Team; IFE; and NOAA)

A portion of a branch - shown above being sampled - from Keratoisis sp. with the tissue removed to show the internal skeleton. In bamboo corals (family Isididae), the skeleton is comprised of a series of hard calcium carbonate internodes (the bright white parts) separated by more flexible proteinaceous nodes (the dark bands). (Image copyright of the Mountains in the Sea Research Team; IFE; and NOAA)

Four feather stars (Crinoidea), close relatives of sea stars, cling to the branches of a Keratoisis sp. bamboo coral at 1800 meters depth on Manning Seamount. (Image copyright of the Mountains in the Sea Research Team; IFE; and NOAA)

Class Anthozoa, Subclass Hexacorallia (polyps with 6, or multiples of 6, tentacles)

A bush-like black coral, Leiopathes sp., at 1325 meters depth near the summit of one of the 3 peaks of Manning Seamount. In the background is a white morph of the bubblegum coral, Paragorgia sp. (Image copyright of the Deep Atlantic Stepping Stones Research Team; IFE-URI; and NOAA)

A close-up on the dense branches of a new species of black coral, found at 1909 meters depth on Rehoboth Seamount in the North Atlantic Ocean. (Image copyright of the Deep Atlantic Stepping Stones Research Team; IFE-URI; and NOAA)

A fan-shaped black coral, Stauropathes cf. punctata, at 2554 meters depth on Kelvin Seamount. (Image copyright of the Mountains in the Sea Research Team; IFE; and NOAA)

The "bottlebrush" black coral, Parantipathes sp., at xxx meters depth on xxxx Seamount. There are two pink squat lobsters (Chirostylidae) living on the colony. (Image copyright of the Mountains in the Sea Research Team; IFE; and NOAA)

A coiled, whip-shaped colony of Stichopathes sp. looks small next to an unidentified, multi-branched black coral (family Schizopathidae), at xxx meters depth on xxxx Seamount. (Image copyright of the Mountains in the Sea Research Team; IFE; and NOAA)

A close-up of three polyps of a deep-sea black coral shows each polyp has six tentacles (seen best in the polyp in the middle; you can also see the "mouth," the narrow slit surrounded by the tentacles) characteristic of hexacorals.

A deep-sea grenadier hovers close to the bottom behind a black coral, Bathypathes sp., in the North Atlantic Ocean. (Image copyright of the Deep Atlantic Stepping Stones Research Team; IFE-URI; and NOAA)

Black coral skeletons. Left: A branch of Leiopathes shows the black-colored skeleton through a thin layer of tissue; the colorful polyps are arranged on one side of the branch. Right: Stripping away the tissue from a branch of Bathypathes sp. reveals the thorny proteinaceous skeleton beneath.

A wire coral , Stichopathes sp., at 1680 meters depth on Manning Seamount. All of the polyps are on one side of the skeleton, and you can see the distinct tentacles projecting into the water. (Image copyright of the Mountains in the Sea Research Team; IFE; and NOAA)

A black coral, possibly Sibopathes sp., at 1840 meters depth on Corner Seamount. Two feather stars can be seen in the branches. (Image copyright of the Deep Atlantic Stepping Stones Research Team; IFE-URI; and NOAA)