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Newly Discovered Deep-Sea Corals

It's a new age of discovery for scientists studying deep-sea corals. In this image gallery, take a look at a handful of the many species of deep-sea corals that have been discovered by marine scientists just since 2004. Explore more in the multimedia feature "Coral Gardens of the Deep Sea."  

Tags: Corals
This species of bamboo coral, discovered in 2004 in the Pacific Northwest, has unusually long and impressive tentacles.
Found 1,751 m (5,745 ft) below the surface of Hawaii’s waters in 2007, this orange bamboo coral is 1.2–1.5 m (4–5 ft) tall.
Scientists discovered this 1.5-m (5-ft) tall yellow bamboo coral in 2007 off the coast of Hawaii in 1,459 m (4,787 ft) of water.
Discovered in 2004 and named in 2009, Gersemia juliepackardae coral lives on seamounts in the northeast Pacific Ocean at depths of 500-2,000 m (1,640-6,562 ft).
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.

Found 1,751 m (5,745 ft) below the surface of Hawaii’s waters in 2007, this orange bamboo coral is 1.2–1.5 m (4–5 ft) tall.

New Genus of Bamboo Coral

Credit: : Hawaii Deep-Sea Coral Expedition 2007/NOAA

Found 1,751 m (5,745 ft) below the surface of Hawaii’s waters in 2007, this orange bamboo coral is 1.2–1.5 m (4–5 ft) tall. It is thought to represent a new genus. Learn about more deep-sea discoveries in our Deep-sea Corals article.

Scientists discovered this 1.5-m (5-ft) tall yellow bamboo coral in 2007 off the coast of Hawaii in 1,459 m (4,787 ft) of water.

New Bamboo Coral Discovery

Credit: Hawaii Deep-Sea Coral Expedition 2007/NOAA

Ocean scientists discovered this 1.5-m (5-ft) tall yellow bamboo coral in 2007 off the coast of Hawaii in 1,459 m (4,787 ft) of water. It is thought to represent a new genus. Learn about more deep-sea discoveries in our Deep-sea Corals article.

Discovered in 2004 and named in 2009, Gersemia juliepackardae coral lives on seamounts in the northeast Pacific Ocean at depths of 500-2,000 m (1,640-6,562 ft).

New Soft Coral

Credit: © 2004 MBARI

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.