The exoskeleton of this majid crab living at 516 meters depth provides substrate to many species of hydroids and barnacles.

Closeup view of a bubblegum coral being colonized by a parasitic zoanthid at 1588 meters depth

A 70-cm scraggly toothed bathysaurus fish.

Bubblegum corals (red) lack any form of fused internal skeleton. A complex of microscopic skeletal structures (sclerites) joined by organic cements provide support to the colony. Fleshy brittle stars are usually found in association with these corals. Sea lilies (yellow) are also common.

An overview showing the extraordinary biodiversity found at seamount K, even at small scales.

A stunning purple Sea Lily filters the current for food.

A close-up view of a brittle star intertwined with its host coral.

A spectacular image of a benthopelagic sea cucumber swimming in the near freezing waters of the abyss, approximately 3200 meters deep.

Close-up view of a bamboo whip coral with its associate squat lobster.

A small cup coral about 2cm in height with its tentacles extended.

The association of this primnoid sea fan with the fleshy ophiuroids is commonly found around the worlds' deep-sea.

Scleractinian hard coral imaged at 1382 meters depth. Based on published results, this coral may be between 1,000 and 6,000 years old.

A purple sea cucumber with a high "spike" protruding from its dorsal section.

An 8-cm long gastropod snail crawling on a wood fall (log) at 1525 meters depth.

Large barrel sponges and their associates were observed on a small seamount that had been discovered by the Indonesian research ship Baruna Jaya IV. Depth approximately 700 meters.

A stunning 10-armed sea star seen at 271 meters depth.

A shrimp with long legs on a sponge

Galatheid crabs and a large shrimp feast opportunistically on a pelagic catch. The largest crab individuals were feeding directly on the catch, whereas the smaller crabs waited their turn to on the outskirts of the group.

Hydrothermal vent study area with black smoker and bright red-tipped tube worms.

IMAX flange on the top of the Poseidon carbonate pinnacle. This pinnacle is three stories tall.

Carbonate structures at the Poseidon carbonate pinnacle.

White deep sea corals.

A white carbonate spire in the Lost City vent field.

The top of Nature Pinnacle as viewed from Hercules. The two spires that form a V-shape are composed of whtie carbonate.

A white carbonate spire in the Lost City vent field.

Broken blocks of white carbonate mineral material at the base of a Lost City spire.

The brown color of these carbonate spires indicates that they are relatively older than the pure white spires seen in other images of Lost City.

A honeycomb-like structure on the side of a Lost City spire.

A honeycomb-like structure on the side of a Lost City spire.

Carbonate spires in the Lost City vent field.

Carbonate spires in the Lost City vent field.

Carbonate spires in the Lost City vent field.

Broken carbonate material at the base of a Lost City spire.

A large 20-cm wide Xenophyophore. Xenophyophores are single cell animals called protists. As benthic particulate feeders, xenophyophores normally sift through the sediments on the sea floor. and excrete a slimy substance; in locations with a dense population of xenophyophores, such as the bottom of trenches, their density may be as high as 2000 per 100 square meters.

A large 20-cm wide Xenophyophore. Xenophyophores are single cell animals called protists. As benthic particulate feeders, xenophyophores normally sift through the sediments on the sea floor. and excrete a slimy substance; in locations with a dense population of xenophyophores, such as the bottom of trenches, their density may be as high as 2000 per 100 square meters.

A beautifully marked red and white crab uses the carbonate debris at the base of a Lost City spire as shelter and protection. What appears to be an intriguing bit of shell with a long bit of reddish grey tubing is seen in the left center of the image.

Graceful white corals reminiscent of candelabras on the seafloor of Atlantis Massif. What appears to be a spotted fish hovers over the center coral.

Deep sea corals on Atlantis Massif.

The manipulator arm of the Hercules ROV capturing a red antipatharian coral. Photo #1 of sequence.

Note the galatheid crab leaping for its life as the Hercules ROV manipulator arm captures its home - a reddish antipatharian coral. Photo #2 of sequence.

Note the galatheid crab leaping for its life as the Hercules ROV manipulator arm captures its home - a reddish antipatharian coral. Photo #3 of sequence.

Note the galatheid crab leaping for its life as the Hercules ROV manipulator arm captures its home - a reddish antipatharian coral. Photo #4 of sequence.

The galatheid crab is now safely on the seafloor and will commence a search for a new home after the manipulator arm of the Hercules ROV captured the reddish antipatharian coral. Photo #5 of sequence. A venus flytrap anemone is seen in the upper left attached to a branch of the coral.

A witch eel passes from right to upper left. Small pieces of white coral are seen on the oddly textured seafloor of this area.

A wreckfish exploring the Lost City vent field. This fish is approximately 1-meter long.

The manipulator arm of the Hercules ROV sampling a rock in an area of iron-stained hydrothermal alteration on the Atlantis Massif.

Broken rock fragments and cracks on the seafloor are indicative of a highly faulted terrain.

Hercules captured this image of a deep-sea jelly fish, possibly Poralia rufescens, undulating several meters above the seafloor just south of the IMAX vent at Lost City.

Hercules captured this image of a deep-sea jelly fish, possibly Poralia rufescens, undulating several meters above the seafloor just south of the IMAX vent at Lost City.

Hercules captured this image of a deep-sea jelly fish, possibly Poralia rufescens, undulating several meters above the seafloor just south of the IMAX vent at Lost City.