Skip to Content Skip to Navigation

Ocean Portal by The Smithsonian Institution

Deep Sea

FEATURES


IMAGE GALLERY Deep Ocean Diversity See some of the remarkable adaptations that deep-sea animals have evolved. Learn more about their habitat and how marine scientists research it in our Deep Ocean Exploration section.MORE GALLERIES


	ARTICLE MORE STORIES From Submarines to Robots: Exploring the Deep Ocean Filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer James Cameron on March 25, 2012, beca...
	BLOG POST MORE STORIES Summer in a Sub: DROP Down to Discovery You never know where following your passions can take you. I came to the Smithso...
	PHOTO MORE PHOTOS Millions of Brittlestars A huge colony of brittlestars (likely Ophiacantha rosea) covers the peak of a se...

EDUCATOR RESOURCES

LATEST TODAY'S CATCH


					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...

Zombie Worms Eating Whale Bone

May 13, 2013 - 9:23AM

Zombie worms (Osedax roseus) eat away at the bones of a dead whale that has...

Scaly Dragonfish

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...

Zombie Worms Eating Whale Bone May 13 2013 - 9:23am Zombie worms (Osedax roseus) eat away at the bones of a dead whale that has fallen to the seafloor in Sagami Bay, Japan. These bizarre worms rely on whale bones for energy and are what scientists call “sexually dimorphic”—the male and female forms are markedly different. In this case, the males are...	Deep-Sea Coral Habitat 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.
Fangtooth Fish 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...	Deep-Sea Dragonfish Dec 31 2012 - 3:58pm The deep-sea dragonfish (Stomiidae), also called the barbeled dragonfish, uses it's fang-like teeth to grab prey in its deep-sea environment.
Deep-Sea Coral Community Jul 27 2011 - 10:46am Dr. Amy Baco-Taylor observed corals like these on her first submarine dive to a deep-sea coral bed off the coast of Hawaii. They include primnoids, zoanthids, and Gerardia.	Solitary Deep-water Corals Oct 5 2012 - 3:42pm These corals from the Smithsonian collections are Stephanocyathus (A.) spiniger, a solitary, deep-water stony coral species. Around 74% of all deep-water corals are solitary, living as individual organisms instead of forming large colonies like most shallow-water corals. This one has six long...
Submersible Collects Deep-Sea Corals Aug 12 2011 - 2:07pm Come along as scientist Dr. Brendan Roark narrates a submersible dive to collect and study deep-sea corals. Roark studies deep-sea corals to understand the history of the ocean and past ocean climates.	Black Corals Jun 7 2011 - 12:29pm Black corals, like this one growing on the Manning Seamount off the New England coast, often resemble bushes or trees. Contrary to its name, the living tissue of black coral can be one of several colors. It’s the skeleton that is black. See more pictures of coral in our Deep-sea Corals article.
Spiral Track on Ocean Floor Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am It took a while for scientists to identify what made this spiral track. At first they had only glimpses of the track-maker from fuzzy photographs. Finally, after studying a specimen and clearer images, scientists determined that the tracks were made by a new kind of wormlike animal from the group...	Bubblegum Coral Jun 7 2011 - 12:32pm This bubblegum coral (Paragorgia arborea) has a fanlike shape. It is growing 1,310 m (4,298 ft) deep on the Davidson Seamount southwest of Monterey, California. Learn more about deep-sea corals in the multimedia feature "Coral Gardens of the Deep Sea."
Sample Close-up Jun 7 2011 - 1:04pm Marine scientists photographed and measured this gorgonian coral (Chrysogorgia sp.) and deep-sea shrimp (Bathypalaemonella sp.) just as they were collected—together. Find out how ocean scientists study deep-sea corals in our Deep-sea Corals article.	Human Occupied Vehicle (HOV) Alvin Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am The research submersible Alvin uses bright lights to illuminate the dark seafloor. Built in 1964, it has made more than 4,400 dives. It can carry two scientists and a pilot as deep as 4,500 meters (14,764 feet).
Primnoid Coral Jul 27 2011 - 10:49am The branches of a primnoid coral in the genus Calyptrophora provide a habitat for galathaoid crabs. Learn more about the deep-sea coral reefs in our Deep-sea Corals article.	Manning Seamount Deep Coral Community Dec 4 2009 - 3:33pm A variety of corals colonize the rocky surface of Manning Seamount, part of the New England Seamount Chain located in the Atlantic Ocean just off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. This photo was taken on May 15, 2004, at a depth of 1,718 meters (5,636 feet) by the remotely operated vehicle (ROV...
Sea star, Captured by ROV Jan 6 2011 - 2:59pm A sea star, Hymenaster pellucidus, brought up from a benthic ROV dive. View the “Under Arctic Ice” photo essay to learn more.	New Soft Coral Jun 7 2011 - 1:33pm Discovered in 2004 and named in 2009, this Gersemia juliepackardae coral has been spotted and collected at several seamounts in the northeast Pacific Ocean at depths of 500-2,000 m (1,640-6,562 ft). Learn about more deep-sea discoveries in our Deep-sea Corals article.