This image illustrates the growth of Lamellibrachia luymesi over 14 months on the Upper Louisiana Slope in the Gulf of Mexico. These animals were stained blue in June of 2002 and collected in August of 2003. The white tube above the blue is the previous year's growth. This kind of data allowed us to determine that this species of tubeworm can live in excess of 250 years, and will let us constrain the longevity of the new species we will discover at the deeper sites. Image courtesy of Chuck Fisher.
