Seeps are often areas of diverse seafloor structure that are then used by ‘normal’ deep-sea animals. In this image, the white “fur” is a bacterial mat harvesting the chemicals leaking from below. Part of these processes create the boulders present, which then provide a place for the mushroom soft corals to live.
Bacterial Mat Boulders
Image courtesy of D. Fornari, WHOI MISO Facility and Ocean Exploration Trust: Cruise NA-095. Download larger version (jpg, 3.4 MB).

Seeps are often areas of diverse seafloor structure that are then used by ‘normal’ deep-sea animals. In this image, the white “fur” is a bacterial mat harvesting the chemicals leaking from below. Part of these processes create the boulders present, which then provide a place for the mushroom soft corals to live.

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