Videos

View the slide show of some of the first images taken on Kelvin seamount.

View the slide show of some of the first images taken on Manning Seamount.

View the second slide show of images taken on the Manning Seamount.

Collecting larval recruitment blocks from Manning Seamount at about 1300 m depth.

The "Aquarium" site at East Diamante volcano.

Watch Chrysogorgia coral being collected by the IFE ROV Hercules on Bear Seamount.

View a slide show of live bamboo coral, Isidella trichotoma, found at Giacomini Seamount.

View a slide show of bubblegum coral, Paragorgia sp., collected from Welker Seamount.

Siphonogorgia sp. coral (family Nidaliidae) was discovered on Pratt Seamount.p>

See DSV Alvin peek around a Primnoid coral to see a large aggregation of brittle stars.

View a slide show of some of the deep-sea corals of the Alaska Seamounts.

Coral and other biological samples are taken into the cold room for processing.

Deep-sea corals are not the only habitat formers on the seamounts.

Deep-sea corals are often considered the "condominiums of the deep."

An Antipatharian, or black coral, in 1,400 m of water on Denson Seamount.

A narrated compilation of still photographs.

Various sponges and octocorals collected during the "Deep Sea Medicines 2003 Expedition."

Cold water coral.

A deep sea coral bioluminescing as it is agitated by the manipulator arm of the JSL II

The beautiful and complex habitat of the Lophelia coral banks.

Oculina coral habitat

Alvin collecting a soft coral sample

Images

Corals and Octocorals (Phylum Cnidaria)

Large Paragorgia colonies on basalt substrate. (HR)

Cross sectional view of polyps and eggs in Paragorgia sp. colony. (HR)

Egg from Acanella sp. (HR)

Paragorgia forest site as seen from the Hercules ROV. (HR)

Various species of corals and sponges on Retriever Seamount. (HR)

Black coral on Retriever Seamount. (HR)

Lovely spiraling Iridigorgia coral with brightly colored (apparent) commensal shrimp. (HR)

A single coral before color balancing.

A single coral after color balancing.

A specimen of Iridigorgia collected at Kelvin Seamount. (HR)

A specimen of long bamboo coral collected at Kelvin Seamount.

Black coral colony.

Black coral polyps with six tentacles.

The thorny skeleton of a black coral.

Black whip-like coral, Stichopathes. (HR)

Isidella coral specimen.

Crinoid-covered bamboo coral, appearing to have retracted polyps.

Gorgonians in a shallow reef system in Bonaire. (HR)

A bushy black coral as found in its natural environment. (HR)

Pink Paragorgia collected from one of the Manning Seamounts. (HR)

Red Paragorgia coral. (HR)

Microscopic image of digestive mesenteries sticking out of the mouth of a coral polyp. (HR)

Lovely Lepidisis (whip coral) on Bear Seamount.

Keratoisis bamboo coral skeleton.

A bubblegum coral is occupied by a number of basket stars (Asteronyx sp.)

A number of coral species in the Paragorgiidae family (Bubblegum corals) were discovered.

Bamboo corals were among the dominant groups. They are in the Isididae family.

Antipatharians corals are often referred to as “black corals” for their dark black skeletons.

Primnoids are a very diverse group of corals that range from highly branched forms.

The delicate coral in this image is in the Chrysogorgiidae family.

A live bamboo coral in 800 meters of water on Pratt Seamount.

Too big to fit in any of the sample boxes, this sample was brought to the surface locked in the Alvin’s mechanical arm.

A zoomed-in view of Paragorgia, with polyps extended. (HR)

The collected Paragorgia, ready for sample processing. (HR)

A collection of tubes and jars from the processed Paragorgia colony. (HR)

August 10
Bamboo coral specimen with mucus clearly visible. (HR)

A tall deep-water gorgonian coral. (HR)

A coral and sponge garden

Closed Paragorgia polyps.

A Paragorgia colony.

Octocoral polyps and a red brittle star, Asteronyx.

A Paragorgia coral with a yellow colonial anemone.

Purple octocoral.

Open coral polyp.

Open coral polyps.

A single coral polyp.

Coral polyp septa.

Microscopic coral eggs.

Deep sea paragorgia coral.

Iridogorgia coral specimen.

Corallium sp. specimen. (HR)

Relaxing coral polyps.

Paragorgia sp. and pin-shaped clear sclerites Lepidisis sp photographed through a microscope.

Paragorgia coral with an unknown zoanthid colony.

Deep sea corals collected from Oceanographer Canyon.

Bathypathes sp, a type of black coral undewater.

Various black corals in a bucket. (HR)

A close-up of Iridogorgia coral polyps.

Iridogorgia, a spiral shaped coral.

Soft coral provides a number of hiding places for benthic invertebrates.

This specimen is the largest colonial coral collected to date.

A close-up of some of the individual polyps that comprise a colonial coral.

Abundant coral growth can be found in some areas with exposed hard bottom.

Tree-shaped coral are one of the most common types of coral seen on the exposed rock.

Soft coral which was found at a depth of more than 1400 feet.

Bush of deep water coral Lophelia pertusa.

Black coral bush.

A Gorgonia Swiftia sp.

Often found solitary Cup corals do not form reefs like shallow corals. (HR)

Lophelia pertusa in a field of anemones and sponges. (HR)

A Bamboo coral (Acanella sp.).

Catshark egg cases attached to one colony in a field of Primnoid corals

A red gorgonian (1x).

A red gorgonian (10x).

Callogorgia coral along with a solitary cup coral.

A large Madrepora coral along with Primnoa coral seen in the pictures lower left corner.

Foureye butterflyfish (Chaetodon capistratus) a colony of (stag horn coral).

Sampling deep sea coral from a colony in the Gulf of Mexico at 1178 feet.

The dense coral habitat of the 3-toothed squat lobster at Green Canyon. (HR)

Lophelia pertusa bushes with several painted squat lobsters and a golden crinoid.

A large number of basket stars were found entwined within this octocoral. (HR)

The single colony of bright-white Lophelia pertusa coral along with a variety of anemones. (HR)

Deep sea black corals.

Isidid from 1300 meters at Murray Seamount.

Isidid from 700 meters at Warwick Seamount.

Isidid from Warwick Seamount.

Coral polyps on a bamboo coral.

Paragorgia coral.

Paragorgia with squat lobsters.

Bamboo coral.

Octocorals at the top of a vent chimney. (HR)

A bamboo coral skeleton (Ceratoisis flexibilis) with living tissue removed.

A bamboo coral (Ceratoisis flexibilis) with living polyps.

Lophelia sp. deepwater coral.

Bamboo coral; note black banding.

Coral, pencil urchin, and sea star.

A healthy branch of Lophelia coral sampled from the deep ocean reefs.

A beautiful pale orange coral collected at the Lophelia coral banks.

Purple coral growing over gold coral.

A vertical wall of gold coral.

A toadstool soft coral.

Coral, bryozoa, and shell fragments

Bryozoa and coral

Paramuricea coral and brittle star

Lophelia coral

Octocoral

Coral, bryozoa, and shell fragments

Octocoral

Antipatharian coral

Coralscape

Oculina coral

Dead Oculina coral

Stages of decay in Oculina coral

Sponges and corals

Deep sea corals (Paramurecia)

Deep sea corals (Paraorgia)

Close-up of Oculina coral

Oculina coral

Ivory tree coral f

Head of Oculina coaral

Oculina coral

Blue angelfish and coral

Octocoral, Primnoa resedaeformis

Lophelia coral

Oculina varicosa coral head

Ivory Tree coral, oculina varicosa

Three types of gorgonian corals