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June 1, 2021: Squat Lobster and Coral

While exploring the northeast side of Pao Pao Seamount during the Discovering the Deep: Exploring Remote Pacific Marine Protected Areas expedition, we saw this squat lobster hanging upside down from the branches of what, despite its white color, is actually a black coral in the family Schizopathidae.

Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Discovering the Deep: Exploring Remote Pacific MPAs. Download larger version (jpg, 697 KB).

While exploring the northeast side of Pao Pao Seamount during the Discovering the Deep: Exploring Remote Pacific Marine Protected Areas expedition, we saw this squat lobster hanging upside down from the branches of what, despite its white color, is actually a black coral in the family Schizopathidae. The common name “black coral” refers to the blackish color of the coral skeleton, not the color of the living coral polyps.