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Census researchers discovered this sea cucumber (Enypniastes sp.) in the Gulf of Mexico.
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Transparent Sea Cucumber

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Take a look at strange deep-sea creatures rarely seen before.
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Interactive Ocean Dive

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Artist Joan Lederman glazes her work with deep ocean sediments.
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Bowl Glazed with Deep Ocean Sediments

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This fish is using counterillumination to disappear. At left it stands out against the light above it. At right, with bioluminescent structures lit, it blends in.
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Fish Using Counterillumination

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This urchin (Echinocrepis rostrata) leaves tracks as it moves across the ocean floor.
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Deep-Sea Urchin

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These wormlike animals make spiral tracks on the sea floor.
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Deep-Sea Worms

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It took a while for scientists to identify what made this spiral track.
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Spiral Track on Ocean Floor

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Like a cake, the ocean has different layers—each with its own characteristics.
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Ocean Layers

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Oceanographers divide the ocean into three broad zones, each with different species.
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Zones of the Open Ocean

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A deep-sea octopod wraps itself around a submersible’s robotic arm in the Gulf of Mexico.
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Octopod on Submersible Arm

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On a seamount peak, a huge colony of brittle stars (likely Ophiacantha rosea) feeds on passing particles.
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Millions of Brittle Stars

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This lizardfish rests on the bottom, waiting to snatch prey.
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Deepsea Lizardfish

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