This unusual purple octocoral in the family Plexauridae was observed at a depth of 1,368 meters (4,488 feet) during Dive 09 of the 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones expedition.The coral also provides a foundation for sessile, or immobile animals, like the barnacles pictured here, to attach and feed on microscopic food drifting by.
Purple Octocoral
Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones: New England and Corner Rise Seamounts. Download largest image (jpg, 1.6 MB).

This unusual purple octocoral in the family Plexauridae was observed at a depth of 1,368 meters (4,488 feet) during Dive 09 of the 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones expedition.The coral also provides a foundation for sessile, or immobile animals, like the barnacles pictured here, to attach and feed on microscopic food drifting by.

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