June 14, 2021: Tubeworm
Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, MCR Expedition 2011. Download larger version (jpg, 1.1 MB).
A close look at a tubeworm seen at the Von Damm hydrothermal field during the Mid-Cayman Rise Expedition 2011. While exploring the site over the course of the expedition, the team discovered the first live hydrothermal tubeworm EVER seen in the Atlantic! While tubeworms are some of the most iconic animals to have been discovered at vent fields in the Pacific, prior to this 2011 expedition, they had previously only been found associated with cold seeps anywhere in the Atlantic Ocean.