1. Home
  2. Multimedia
  3. Image of the Day
  4. July 8, 2021

July 8, 2021: Corals on a Wall

In this image, thousands of black whip corals (Stichopathes sp.) and whip gorgonians (Elisella sp.) extend into the current, feeding on the plankton pushed along these walls by deep currents.

Image courtesy of Cuba’s Twilight Zone Reefs and Their Regional Connectivity. Download larger version (jpg, 1.2 MB).

During the final week of the Cuba’s Twilight Zone Reefs and Their Regional Connectivity expedition, the team explored mesophotic coral sites along the northern coast of Cuba, from Punta Maisí on the eastern tip of Cuba to Havana.

Steeply sloped or even completely vertical walls were common from 75 to 125 meters (246 to 410 feet) at roughly half the sites along the northeastern reefs of Cuba. In this image, thousands of black whip corals (Stichopathes sp.) and whip gorgonians (Elisella sp.) extend into the current, feeding on the plankton pushed along these walls by deep currents.

From: Cuba’s North East Coastline: Diversity on a Grand Scale.