a dense mussel bed found on the Blake ridge

At a dense mussel bed found on the Blake ridge, the mussels had a white film around the edges of their valves (shells) that actually contained bacteria. We still do not know if the symbionts living on the gills of the mussels get their energy from methane or sulfide. Image courtesy of Deep East 2001, NOAA/OER.

Related Links

Deep East 2001

Deep East: Sept 29 log

NOAA Ocean Explorer Gallery