November 19, 2021: Brittle Star
Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2019 Southeastern U.S. Deep-sea Exploration. Download larger version (jpg, 1.1 MB).
A brittle star entwined in the branches of a bubblegum coral at a depth of 755 meters (2,478 feet). Seen during a 2019 Southeastern U.S. Deep-sea Exploration dive on a ridge topped with a series of mounds that may mark the eastern extent of the Million Mounds area on the edge of the Stetson Miami Terrace Deep Water Coral Habitat Area of Particular Concern (HAPC). The site was selected to help characterize mapping data collected during the first part of the 2019 Southeastern U.S. Deep-sea Exploration. Given its location in the HAPC, exploration of the site was a priority for regional managers.