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September 9, 2020: Black Coral

This large outcrop with several large coral colonies was seen at 760 meters (2,493 feet) depth during the second dive of the Windows to the Deep 2019 expedition. Large corals, such as the black coral shown here, can host an abundance of associates, including several flytrap anemones (Actinoscyphia aurelia) and squat lobsters. These associates use the coral to get farther off the seafloor and into nutrient-delivering currents.

Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Windows to the Deep 2019. Download larger version (jpg, 459 KB).

This large outcrop with several large coral colonies was seen at 760 meters (2,493 feet) depth during the second dive of the Windows to the Deep 2019 expedition. Large corals, such as the black coral shown here, can host an abundance of associates, including several flytrap anemones (Actinoscyphia aurelia) and squat lobsters. These associates use the coral to get farther off the seafloor and into nutrient-delivering currents.

Watch a video of this “mighty black coral.”