Life In The Deep Sea
Life In The Deep Sea oceanscape.aquarium.org
Black Corals (Antipatharia)
These corals, which number over 200 species, have dense, black stems and branches covered with tiny thorns. All black corals are colonial organisms made up of tiny cuplike units called polyps.
Venus Flytrap Anemones
(Actinoscyphia aurelia) Brilliant and beautiful, the Venus Flytrap Anemone has a bright orange oral disk and tentacles. These animals use their tentacles to capture food which floats past them in the water.
Chain Catshark
(Scyliorhinus retifer) Many shark species reside in the deep sea. This tiny shark has bold camouflage pattern which helps it hide on the rocky, muddy ocean bottom.
Bathypalaemonella sp.
Members of this shrimp genus are found in deep, chiefly tropical waters around the world. They are slender and smooth, with a long finely toothed rostrum that extends forward from the head.
Giant Isopod
(Bathynomus giganteus) Resembling the pillbug found in back yards and gardens, these large invertebrates can weigh up to 4 lbs (1.8 kg). They are scavengers with special mouth features designed for biting and chewing.
Squat Lobster
(Eumunida picta) Several deep-sea crustaceans are called “squat lobsters.” Eumunida picta perches on rocky outcrops or coral colonies with its long claws stretched out, ready to capture large plankton or small fishes that drift or swim by.
Artwork: Michael Cole
Goosefish
(Lophius sp.) Several species of goosefish, sometimes called monkfish or sea-devils, exist in the deep sea. They are flattened anglerfishes that lie still on the muddy ocean bottom and ambush their prey.
Layout and design: Marsh Myers
Lophelia pertusa
This stony coral species is one of only a handful that constructs reefs or mounds in the deep sea. Some of these reefs reach over a mile across and hundreds of feet high, at depths ranging from 660 to 3,280 feet (200 to 1,000 m).
Black Corals (Antipatharia)
These corals, which number over 200 species, have dense, black stems and branches covered with tiny thorns. All black corals are colonial organisms made up of tiny cuplike units called polyps.
Venus Flytrap Anemones
(Actinoscyphia aurelia) Brilliant and beautiful, the Venus Flytrap Anemone has a bright orange oral disk and tentacles. These animals use their tentacles to capture food which floats past them in the water.
Chain Catshark
(Scyliorhinus retifer) Many shark species reside in the deep sea. This tiny shark has bold camouflage pattern which helps it hide on the rocky, muddy ocean bottom.
Bathypalaemonella sp.
Members of this shrimp genus are found in deep, chiefly tropical waters around the world. They are slender and smooth, with a long finely toothed rostrum that extends forward from the head.
Giant Isopod
(Bathynomus giganteus) Resembling the pillbug found in back yards and gardens, these large invertebrates can weigh up to 4 lbs (1.8 kg). They are scavengers with special mouth features designed for biting and chewing.
Squat Lobster
(Eumunida picta) Several deep-sea crustaceans are called “squat lobsters.” Eumunida picta perches on rocky outcrops or coral colonies with its long claws stretched out, ready to capture large plankton or small fishes that drift or swim by.
Artwork: Michael Cole
Goosefish
(Lophius sp.) Several species of goosefish, sometimes called monkfish or sea-devils, exist in the deep sea. They are flattened anglerfishes that lie still on the muddy ocean bottom and ambush their prey.
Layout and design: Marsh Myers
Lophelia pertusa
This stony coral species is one of only a handful that constructs reefs or mounds in the deep sea. Some of these reefs reach over a mile across and hundreds of feet high, at depths ranging from 660 to 3,280 feet (200 to 1,000 m).
