Top 10 Corals and Creatures in Mid-Atlantic’s ‘Deep-Sea Backyard’

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Top 10 Corals and Creatures in Mid-Atlantic’s ‘Deep-Sea Backyard’

The common name “bubblegum” comes from the bulbous ends on the branches of these corals in the group with the scientific name Paragorgia. These can grow to be several yards tall and form dense, colorful gardens.
NOAA Okeanos Explorer program, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and U.S. Geological Survey NOAA Okeanos Explorer program, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and U.S. Geological Survey
Sometimes called sea fans, Primnoa corals can live hundreds of years. This specimen was found in Norfolk Canyon, off the Virginia coast.
NOAA Okeanos Explorer program, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and U.S. Geological Survey NOAA Okeanos Explorer program, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and U.S. Geological Survey
The ocean dandelion is a type of siphonophore, a collection of many animals that work together as a colony. Some members protect the colony, while others catch food or take care of reproduction.
Even though they are rare, we were lucky enough to see dandelion siphonophores on three dives during this expedition.
NOAA Okeanos Explorer program, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and U.S. Geological Survey NOAA Okeanos Explorer program, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and U.S. Geological Survey
Sea cucumbers fill a role in the deep ocean similar to that of earthworms on land, breaking down and recycling nutrients for other creatures to use.
In the words of our Telepresence Team Lead, Aliens exist and they’re closer than you think! Sea cucumbers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but almost all of them look they could be extras in the next Men in Black movie.
NOAA Okeanos Explorer program, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and U.S. Geological Survey NOAA Okeanos Explorer program, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and U.S. Geological Survey
There are more than 1,300 known species of sea spiders ranging from a fraction of an inch to nearly a yard across. These creatures might be the stuff of nightmares for some, but they aren’t true spiders, and they won’t be crawling in bed with you anytime soon.
Although we saw several sea spiders during the expedition, this one feeding on a solitary hydroid was particularly exciting!
NOAA Okeanos Explorer program, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and U.S. Geological Survey NOAA Okeanos Explorer program, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and U.S. Geological Survey
This striking deep-sea squid was photographed in what is called a “tuning fork” position, with each tentacle held rigid to catch its prey.
A Whiplash (Mastigoteuthis) squid waits in the water column while hunting in Phoenix Canyon.
NOAA Okeanos Explorer program, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and U.S. Geological Survey NOAA Okeanos Explorer program, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and U.S. Geological Survey
This blackbelly rosefish in Norfolk Canyon is as deadly as it is beautiful. It’s an ambush hunter with poisonous spines.
Blackbelly rosefish – these striking fish are fairly common in the rocky canyon habitats. Related to scorpionfish, the blackbelly rosefish is an ambush hunter and possesses venomous dorsal spines to deter predators. Image courtesy of Deepwater Canyons 2013 - Pathways to the Abyss, NOAA-OER/BOEM/USGS.
NOAA Okeanos Explorer program, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and U.S. Geological Survey NOAA Okeanos Explorer program, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and U.S. Geological Survey
The ribbonlike red organ is this jellyfish’s stomach. The color hides the prey it has consumed, which are often small bioluminescent (or glow-in-the-dark) animals. Without this shield, the light from its meal might make the jellyfish a target for other predators.
One of the highlights of the dive, D2 imaged a beautiful hydromedusa in Washington Canyon. Hydromedusa have red-tinted stomached to camouflage any bioluminescence exhibited by their pray.
NOAA Okeanos Explorer program, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and U.S. Geological Survey NOAA Okeanos Explorer program, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and U.S. Geological Survey
Chimera, also called “ghost sharks,” belong to one of the oldest and oddest groups of fishes. These deep-dwellers branched off from sharks—their closest relatives—some 400 million years ago.
This chimera swam by for a visit during our dive in Ryan Canyon.
NOAA Okeanos Explorer program, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and U.S. Geological Survey NOAA Okeanos Explorer program, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and U.S. Geological Survey
Unlike urchins along the shore, these deep-sea urchins don’t have a hard skeleton. When brought to the surface they deflate into their namesake pancake shape.
A pancake urchin (Hygrosoma sp.) moves across some discarded human debris. McMaster Canyon had the most evidence of anthropogenic impact that we have seen yet on this expedition.
NOAA Okeanos Explorer program, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and U.S. Geological Survey NOAA Okeanos Explorer program, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and U.S. Geological Survey
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A vast stretch of the U.S. continental shelf’s edge in the Atlantic Ocean contains submerged cliffs, canyons, and seamounts that are just now being explored. These features form essential habitat for hundreds of species adapted to the dark depths, including magnificent deep-sea corals that can live for centuries.

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