Deep Sea

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Searching for Crustaceans in the Deep Sea

Searching for Crustaceans in the Deep Sea

May 16, 2013 - 9:04AMIn this video Smithsonian research zoologist Dr. Martha Nizinski takes viewers with her as she searches for crustaceans in the deep sea. She's particularly interested in finding squat lobsters, which despite their name, are...
May 13, 2013 - 9:23AM
Zombie worms (Osedax roseus) eat away at the bones of a dead whale that has...
May 8, 2013 - 9:26AM
The long barbel on the chin of this dragonfish (Stomias boa) has a glowing...

SPOTLIGHT

Marine Snow: A Staple of the Deep

Snow on land can make some people grumpy, but the magical-looking flakes and a beautiful layer on the trees can turn even...
Bioluminescence in Art and Science with Edie Widder
Feb 28 2013 - 4:20pm
Dr. Edie Widder spoke at the National Museum of Natural History as a part of the Changing Tides Lecture Series and discussed her work on underwater light: light chemically produced by animals through a process called bioluminescence. The beauty of light-producing animals intersects with light art...
Oct 1 2012 - 8:44am
This rarely-seen smalleyed rabbitfish (Hydrolagus affinis), belonging to the order of Chimaera, was caught during a research trip to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in 2004 sponsored by the Census of Marine Life. In Greek mythology, chimeras were beasts that were part lion, part snake and part goat,...
Jul 27 2011 - 12:15pm
A sea lion in the Sea of Cortez observes Dr. Peter Auster as he observes reef fishes. Learn more about deep-sea coral reefs in our Deep-sea Corals article.
Jun 8 2011 - 4:42pm
Rockfish, anemones, and other invertebrates inhabit this deep-sea coral reef in Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of California.
Jul 27 2011 - 11:33am
In the wet lab aboard the R/V Seward Johnson, Dr. Martha Nizinski examines a sample of the deep-sea coral Lophelia pertusa, collected 600-m (1,969-ft) deep off the coast of the southeastern United States.
Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
Flower-like zoanthids, relatives of coral, carpet a hydrothermal vent. This species of zoanthid is the first ever discovered at a hydrothermal vent. See more pictures of incredible deep sea diversity at our slideshow!
Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
These deep-sea photographs show a variety of broad-collared enteropneusts or acorn worms. These wormlike animals make spiral tracks on the sea floor. All the species shown here are new to science, and most have not yet been collected by scientists. More about deep ocean exploration can be found in...
Deep Reef Observation Project  DROP  Video
Jul 5 2011 - 1:19pm
Dr. Carole Baldwin, a research zoologist and fish expert with the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, gives viewers an inside-look at the Deep Reef Observation Project (DROP). She and her colleagues are trying to understand the biodiversity in coral reefs near Curaçao, an island in...
Jan 22 2013 - 10:53am
This tiny, shrimplike creature is no more than 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) long, but it’s as ferocious as a shark. Its giant eyes spot prey. Huge claws grab the prey, and a tiny mouth rips it to shreds. The prey never sees what’s coming, because Phronima’s transparent body blends into the surrounding...
Dec 6 2012 - 11:52am
Riftia tubeworm (Riftia pachyptila) colonies grow where hot, mineral-laden water flows out of the seafloor in undersea hot springs—such as the Guymas Basin of the Gulf of California at 2,000 meters (6562 feet), where MBARI took this photo. As volcanic activity deep below the seafloor changes,...
Aug 3 2010 - 10:07am
Researchers photographed this Venus fly-trap anemone (Actinoscyphia sp.) in the Gulf of Mexico. These elegant, deep-water animals can be found at roughly 4,900 feet (1500 meters). See more photos from the Census of Marine Life. 
Dec 4 2009 - 3:45pm
Thousands of seamounts—most of them undersea volcanoes—tower above the muddy seafloor. They provide something hard to come by in the deep ocean: a solid surface to cling to. Corals, sponges, and other marine animals attach themselves in dense colonies to seamount slopes. As the animals grow and...
Apr 4 2013 - 12:38pm
In Antarctica's Southern Ocean swims a beautiful polychaete (bristly worm) called Tomopteris carpenteri, which is adorned with alternating red and transparent bands. The largest species in its genus, it it found throughout the water column, including the deep sea, where this photo was taken by...
Jun 7 2011 - 9:14am
This map shows where some of the most significant species of deep-sea corals are located. Learn more about the distribution and ecology of deep ocean corals in the article "Coral Gardens of the Deep Sea."
Dec 7 2009 - 11:10pm
This aptly named fish (Anoplogaster cornuta) has long, menacing fangs, but the adult fish is small, reaching only about 6 inches (17 cm) in length. It's teeth are the largest in the ocean in proportion to body size, and are so long that the fangtooth has an adaptation so that it can close its mouth...
Jul 24 2012 - 1:41pm
Deep below the ocean’s surface is a mysterious world that takes up 95% of Earth’s living space. It could hide 20 Washington Monuments stacked on top of each other. But the deep sea remains largely unexplored. Dive down 650 feet (one monument or 200 meters), and you notice that light starts fading...