Condominiums of the Deep

Deep-sea corals are often considered the "condominiums of the deep," because they provide habitat for a large variety of organisms.

This shrimp, which we think is Lebbeus schrenki, is commonly found on a variety of corals. In shallow waters, this shrimp is a "cleaner shrimp," cleaning dead tissue and parasites from fishes. It might be conducting similar activities on corals, so perhaps corals should be considered food markets as well as condos.

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