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Seamounts, A Deep-Sea Habitat

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. This photo gallery shows some of the organisms that have found a suitable home on seamounts. 

Tags: Biodiversity Seamounts Sea stars & Urchins Vents & Volcanoes Deep-sea corals
A variety of corals cling to Manning Seamount, just off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Preview A white coral (Corallium sp.) and two vase sponges (left) grow on an Atlantic Ocean seamount.
Preview Photograph of an orange many-armed sea star on an erect delicately-branched coral in a dark sea.
Preview Colorful corals and brittlestars on Manning Seamount off the New England coast.
A variety of corals cling to Manning Seamount, just off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Manning Seamount Deep Coral Community

Credit: Mountains in the Sea Research Group/NOAA/IFE

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) Hercules. More about deep ocean exploration can be found in our Deep Ocean Exploration featured story.

A white coral (Corallium sp.) and two vase sponges (left) grow on an Atlantic Ocean seamount.

Balanus Seamount

Credit: Mountains in the Sea Research Group/NOAA/IFE

A large white coral (Corallium sp.) grows on the Balanus Seamount, part of the New England Seamount chain. Hanging on to the coral are stalkless crinoids and orange brittlestars (Opiacantha sp.) To the left are two vase sponges. This photo was taken on May 22, 2004, at a depth of 1,745 meters (5,725 feet) by the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Hercules.

Photograph of an orange many-armed sea star on an erect delicately-branched coral in a dark sea.

Sea Star on Coral at Seamount

Credit: Mountains in the Sea Research Group/NOAA/IFE

A bright orange sea star (Novodinia antillensis) clings to a large white soft coral (Paragorgia sp.). This photo was taken on the Manning Seamount at a depth of 1,350 meters (4,429 feet) by the remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) Hercules. To learn more about life in the deep ocean, visit the Deep Ocean Exploration section.

Colorful corals and brittlestars on Manning Seamount off the New England coast.

Manning Seamount Deep Coral Communities

Credit: Mountains in the Sea Research Group/NOAA/IFE

Colorful corals and brittlestars inhabit the Manning Seamount in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of New England. Here you can see golden-colored coral (Enallopsamia rostrata), pinkish-brown coral (Solenosmilia variabilis), pink soft coral (Candidella imbricate), and brittlestars (Ophiacantha sp.). Read more in our story about deep sea exploration.