Deep sea coral

Playa Tamarindo, Costa Rica • Namena Marine Reserve, Fiji • Feather Starfish • The Great Barrier Reef • Blue Ringed Octopus • More ...

A conger eel (Conger oceanicus) cruises through a thicket of Lophelia pertusa coral.

Red Coral sea fan

New studies of genetic material, or eDNA, shed by plants and animals are providing astonishing biological insights.

Hard coral (Favites sp.) fluorescing green under blue light in the dark. Photographed at Tondoba Bay, Marsa Alam, Red Sea, Egypt.

montipora capricornis

Here's a description of the image: Close-up view of a vibrant, small sea creature, possibly a type of nudibranch, perched atop a cluster of purplish-pink coral. The creature is predominantly white with orange and reddish-pink spots, and features delicate, feathery pink appendages on its head. Its large, dark eyes are prominent, and it has a cheerful, almost smiling expression. The coral provides a textured, contrasting background, its surface appearing slightly dusty or powdered. The…

Actinia equina (Anémona)

Sea snail - zeenaaktslak - nudibranche

Dense thickets of ghostly corals shelter myriads of unfamiliar sea creatures have been found covering a vast area of the deep Atlantic, breaking records to become the largest known deep sea reef.

Coral and algae form a symbiotic relationship reliant on sunshine. But deep under the sea, light isn't in abundance, so for a long time the corals survival has perplexed scientists.