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September 21, 2021: Sea Anemone

Shortly after reaching the seafloor at a depth of 4,689 meters (2.91 miles) on an unnamed, star-shaped seamount located to the east of Asterias Seamount in the North Atlantic, we encountered this sea anemone attached to a rocky outcrop.

Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Our Deepwater Backyard: Exploring Atlantic Canyons and Seamounts 2014. Download larger version (jpg, 1.2 MB).

Shortly after reaching the seafloor at a depth of 4,689 meters (2.91 miles) on an unnamed, star-shaped seamount located to the east of Asterias Seamount in the North Atlantic, we encountered this sea anemone attached to a rocky outcrop. In this image, you can see the bulbous tips of the anemone’s tentacles, where the animal’s stinging cells are concentrated. Like many cnidarians, sea anemones use the stinging cells to capture prey.

This dive, conducted on September 30, 2014, as part of the Our Deepwater Backyard: Exploring Atlantic Canyons and Seamounts 2014 expedition, was remotely operated vehicle Deep Discoverer’s deepest dive to date.