Intricate network of fine, lace-like structures with star-like formations against a dark background.
Colorful Squat Lobster
Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2025 Beyond the Blue. Download larger version (jpg, 1.3 MB).
A colorful squat lobster (Anomura) perched in the branches of a coral (Chrysogorgia sp.) observed on the fifteenth dive of the Papahānaumokuākea ROV and Mapping expedition. The symbiosis between these species demonstrates the value of deep-sea corals as habitat engineers. This observation was made at 2,278 meters (7,474 feet) depth.