slideshow

Diversity of Deep-Sea Corals

Sample the surprising diversity of deep-sea corals. See some of the ways they differ in color, shape, and size. Explore more in the multimedia feature "Coral Gardens of the Deep Sea."

Tags: Corals Biodiversity
Coral scientist Dr. Amy Baco-Taylor observed corals like these on her first submarine dive to a deep-sea coral bed off the coast of Hawaii.
Preview Gerardia, or gold coral, species often have a tree-like shape, as evident in this specimen.
Preview : Black corals often resemble bushes or trees. Their living tissue can be one of several colors. It’s the skeleton that is black.
Preview This bubblegum coral has a fanlike shape. It is growing 1,310 m (4,298 ft) deep on the Davidson Seamount.
Preview The pink strands of this coral harbor a variety of organisms. Sea whips are gorgonian corals, with flexible skeletons.
Preview Stephanocyathus (A.) spiniger, a solitary, deep-water stony coral species, has six long spines that slow it from sinking into soft substrates.
Preview Tree corals like this Calyptrophora bayer can grow several meters high and resemble brightly colored trees.
Preview A fan-shaped colony of red coral (Corallium sp.) provides a perch for three basket stars as they feed.
Preview This 200-year-old bamboo coral colony is growing on the Davidson Seamount. The skeleton has bamboo-like segments.
Preview A submersible’s robotic arm collects gold coral in the Hawaiian Islands. Similar specimens have been dated at more than 2,700 years old.
Preview Scientist 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.
Preview Dr. J. Murray Roberts photographed these living polyps from the Mingulay Reef Complex off Scotland in aquaria in 2010.
Preview This photograph of Gerardia sp. was taken at the Cross Seamount in the Pacific Ocean at a depth of 400 m (1,312 feet).
Preview Rockfish, anemones and other invertebrates inhabit this deep-sea coral reef in Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary.
Preview This species of bamboo coral, discovered in 2004 in the Pacific Northwest, has unusually long and impressive tentacles.
Preview Colorful corals and brittlestars on Manning Seamount off the New England coast.
Preview This colony of Lophelia pertusa was photographed from the Mingulay Reef Complex off Scotland in 2005.
Preview Orange and red deep-sea corals.
Preview The branches of a primnoid coral in the genus Calyptrophora provide a habitat for galathaoid crabs.
Preview This black coral is more than 4,200 years old. Named for the color of their skeletons, black corals come in many colors.
Preview : A thicket of Lophelia pertusa, a widespread deep sea coral, shelters a squat lobster.
Preview These deep-sea corals at the Madison-Swanson Marine Reserve are protected, along with the marine life they harbor.
Preview Marine scientists photographed and measured this gorgonian coral and deep-sea shrimp just as they were collected—together.
Coral scientist Dr. Amy Baco-Taylor observed corals like these on her first submarine dive to a deep-sea coral bed off the coast of Hawaii.

Deep-Sea Coral Community

Credit: Photos by A. Baco, T. Kerby and M. Kremer, Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory and NOAA Ocean Exploration

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. The high density and diversity of species is typical of most deep-coral beds in Hawaii at this depth. Learn how she became interested in deep-sea corals,  and explore more in the multimedia feature "Coral Gardens of the Deep Sea."

Gerardia, or gold coral, species often have a tree-like shape, as evident in this specimen.

Gold Coral

Credit: NOAA

Species of deep-sea gold coral, or Gerardia, often have a tree-like shape, as you can see in this specimen. See more pictures of coral in our Deep-sea Corals article.

: Black corals often resemble bushes or trees. Their living tissue can be one of several colors. It’s the skeleton that is black.

Black Corals

Credit: Mountains in the Sea Research Team; the IFE Crew; and NOAA

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.

This bubblegum coral has a fanlike shape. It is growing 1,310 m (4,298 ft) deep on the Davidson Seamount.

Bubblegum Coral

Credit: NOAA/MBARI 2006

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."

The pink strands of this coral harbor a variety of organisms. Sea whips are gorgonian corals, with flexible skeletons.

Sea Whip Coral

Credit: Aquapix and Expedition to the Deep Slope 2007

The pink strands of this single deep-sea coral harbor a variety of marine life. Sea whips are gorgonian corals and have flexible skeletons. See more pictures of coral in our Deep-sea Corals article.

Stephanocyathus (A.) spiniger, a solitary, deep-water stony coral species, has six long spines that slow it from sinking into soft substrates.

Solitary Deep-water Corals

Credit: Smithsonian Institution

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 spines that slow it from sinking into soft substrates.

Tree corals like this Calyptrophora bayer can grow several meters high and resemble brightly colored trees.

Red Tree Coral

Credit: NOAA/MBARI 2006

Tree corals like this Calyptrophora bayer can grow several meters high and resemble brightly colored trees. This deep-sea coral was found 1,683 m (5,522 ft) deep on the Davidson Seamount. See more pictures of coral in our Deep-sea Corals article.

A fan-shaped colony of red coral (Corallium sp.) provides a perch for three basket stars as they feed.

Red Coral

Credit: NOAA/MBARI

A fan-shaped colony of red coral (Corallium sp.) on the Davidson Seamount provides a perch for three basket stars as they feed. See more pictures of coral in our Deep-sea Corals article.

This 200-year-old bamboo coral colony is growing on the Davidson Seamount. The skeleton has bamboo-like segments.

Bamboo Coral

Credit: NOAA/MBARI 2002

This 200-year-old bamboo coral colony is growing on the Davidson Seamount off the coast of California. The skeleton of this deep-sea coral has bamboo-like segments. See more pictures of coral in our Deep-sea Corals article.

A submersible’s robotic arm collects gold coral in the Hawaiian Islands. Similar specimens have been dated at more than 2,700 years old.

Collecting Gold Coral from the Deep Sea

Credit: NOAA-HURL Archives

The robotic arm of a Pisces submersible collects a gold coral colony (Gerardia sp.) during a research cruise in the Hawaiian Islands. Ocean scientists have radiocarbon-dated some Gerardia specimens from this area at more than 2,700 years old. Explore more the multimedia feature "Coral Gardens of the Deep Sea."  

Scientist 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.

Deep-Sea Coral Sample

Credit: A. Howard

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. She is looking for other organisms that may be living in association with this coral. Explore more in the multimedia feature "Coral Gardens of the Deep Sea."

Dr. J. Murray Roberts photographed these living polyps from the Mingulay Reef Complex off Scotland in aquaria in 2010.

Lophelia Pertusa Coral Polyps

Credit: J. Murray Roberts

Deep-sea corals scientist Dr. J. Murray Roberts photographed these living polyps from the Mingulay Reef Complex off Scotland in aquaria in 2010. Learn more about Roberts' work mapping deep-sea corals and explore more about deep-sea corals in the Ocean Portal multimedia feature "Coral Gardens of the Deep Sea."  

This photograph of Gerardia sp. was taken at the Cross Seamount in the Pacific Ocean at a depth of 400 m (1,312 feet).

Gold Coral Close-up

Credit: Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory, National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Rob Dunbar

This close-up photograph of gold coral (Gerardia sp.) was taken at the Cross Seamount in the Pacific Ocean at a depth of 400 m (1,312 ft). Gold corals at this location can have lifespans of 2,000 years or more. Explore more in the multimedia feature "Coral Gardens of the Deep Sea."

Rockfish, anemones and other invertebrates inhabit this deep-sea coral reef in Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

Deep-Sea Coral Habitat

Credit: Jodi Pirtle/Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary

Rockfish, anemones, and other invertebrates inhabit this deep-sea coral reef in Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of California. Deep-sea corals provide habitat and benefits to a variety of marine life. Explore more in the multimedia feature "Coral Gardens of the Deep Sea."  

This species of bamboo coral, discovered in 2004 in the Pacific Northwest, has unusually long and impressive tentacles.

New Bamboo Coral

Credit: NOAA, WHOI, the Alvin Group, and the 2004 GOA Expedition

See a few of the many species of deep-sea corals that have been discovered by scientists just since 2004. Learn about more deep-sea discoveries in our Deep-sea Corals article.

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. 

This colony of Lophelia pertusa was photographed from the Mingulay Reef Complex off Scotland in 2005.

Lophelia pertusa Colony

Credit: J.M. Roberts

This colony of Lophelia pertusa was photographed from the Mingulay Reef Complex off Scotland in 2005. Learn more about the deep-sea coral reefs in our Deep-sea Corals article.

Orange and red deep-sea corals.

Aleutian Coral Reef

Credit: Alberto Lindner/NOAA

Several species of deep-sea corals form a garden 165 m (540 ft) below the ocean’s surface off the coast of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. Explore more in the multimedia feature "Coral Gardens of the Deep Sea." 

The branches of a primnoid coral in the genus Calyptrophora provide a habitat for galathaoid crabs.

Primnoid Coral

Credit: Photos by A. Baco, T.Kerby and M. Kremer, Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory and NOAA Ocean Exploration

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.

This black coral is more than 4,200 years old. Named for the color of their skeletons, black corals come in many colors.

How old is black coral?

Credit: Texas A&M University

This deep-sea black coral from Hawaii (Leiopathes sp.) is more than 4,200 years old. Black corals are named for the color of their skeletons, but the external tissues of black corals come in many bright colors. Explore more in the multimedia feature "Coral Gardens of the Deep Sea."  

: A thicket of Lophelia pertusa, a widespread deep sea coral, shelters a squat lobster.

Coral Thicket with Lobster

Credit: S. Ross et al., UNCW, NOAA/USGS DISCOVRE Cruise

A thicket of white stony coral (Lophelia pertusa) shelters a squat lobster (Eumunida picta). This is the typical shape of this widespread species of deep-sea coral. See more pictures of coral in our Deep-sea Corals article.

These deep-sea corals at the Madison-Swanson Marine Reserve are protected, along with the marine life they harbor.

Protected Deep-sea Corals

Credit: NURC/UNCW

These deep-sea corals at the Madison-Swanson Marine Reserve in the Gulf of Mexico are protected, along with the marine life they harbor. Learn more about deep-sea corals and marine protected areas in our Deep-sea Corals article.

Marine scientists photographed and measured this gorgonian coral and deep-sea shrimp just as they were collected—together.

Deep-sea Coral and Shrimp

Credit: Lophelia II 2009: Deepwater Coral Expedition – Reefs, Rigs and Wrecks

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.