a small bush of tubeworms with endemic mussel colonization

A small bush of tubeworms. When tubeworm bushes are young, only endemic species of animals can colonize them. The presence of the mussels (Bathymodiolis childressi) in the center of the bush means that methane is seeping just below. Image courtesy of Gulf of Mexico 2002, NOAA/OER.

Related Links

Gulf of Mexico

Gulf of Mexico: Chemosynthetic Communities in the Gulf of Mexico

NOAA Ocean Explorer Gallery