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

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

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

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

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

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

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Red coral necklaces in a display window. Harvesting deep-sea coral to produce jewelry like this threatens these ecosystems.
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Coral for Sale

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Black coral, primnoid coral, and feather stars flourish deep on the pristine Davidson Seamount.
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Diverse Deep-Sea Coral Community

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

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A net used to trawl the ocean floor scooped up this large specimen of deep-sea coral.
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Coral Trapped in Trawler Net

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This deep-sea coral specimen shows the bands that help marine scientists learn how ocean conditions changed over time.
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Deep-Sea Coral Bands

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Cancer cells treated with discodermolide, a chemical from a sponge found on deep-sea coral reefs.
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Treated Cancer Cells

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