An unidentified cnidarian that resembles a Venus flytrap from the family Hormathiidae. Found at 1874 meters depth on the slopes of the Davidson Seamount.

Found at 1,874 m depth on the slopes of Davidson Seamount, this unidentified cnidarian (an invertebrate characterized by a radially symmetrical body and saclike internal cavity) resembles a Venus flytrap (family Hormathiidae). Click image for larger view and image credit.

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

January 30, 2006

Andrew DeVogelaere
Marine Scientist
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

Lorraine Anglin
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

The saying "A picture is worth a thousand words" is certainly true for Davidson Seamount. The images from the 2002 Davidson Seamount expedition excited the public and motivated protection of deep-sea corals and seamounts. Images from this cruise are making their way to Web sites, and have already been exchanged with scientists on-shore to begin the description of what is probably a new species of branching sponge. The seamount artwork pictures from students at the School of the Madeleine have been a hit on our expedition Web site. We will return on February 4 with thousands of new still images and over 100 hrs of high definition video tape.

One of the challenges of education is developing the best way to share images. The Sanctuary Integrated Monitoring Network (SIMoN) created a Web-based photo database so everyone can use pictures for teaching, reports, presentations, and just plain fun. More than 200 images from Davidson Seamount are available on the SIMoN Web site. The SIMoN photo database contains over 1,000 digital images on a variety of species and seascapes in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Just click on the photo database and search the images by general groupings, genus/species, or enter a specific keyword search, such as "Davidson Seamount." Among the many deep-sea images from the 2002 cruise are a multitude of corals, octopi, a red flat Spanish dancer, an anemone that resembles a Venus flytrap, and elegant deep-sea jellies to name just a few.

This curious octopus (Benthoctopus sp.) was found at 2422 meters depth next to an orange stalked crinoid on the Davidson Seamount.

This curious octopus (Benthoctopus sp.) was found at 2,422 m depth next to an orange stalked crinoid (feather star) on Davidson Seamount. Click image for larger view and image credit.

A red flat Spanish dancer sea cucumber (Benthodytes sp.) is hovering at 2789 meters depth on the Davidson Seamount.

A red, flat, Spanish dancer sea cucumber (Benthodytes sp.) hovers at 2,789 m depth on Davidson Seamount. Click image for larger view and image credit.

We're looking forward to adding significantly to the SIMoN photo database on our return! A note to anyone needing to write a 1,000-word essay for class: you might add a picture and see if you can get credit for an extra 1,000 words . . . At least you'll find out if your teacher has a sense of humor!

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