Seeps are home to many animals, increasing biodiversity in the deep by creating food from chemical energy and structure for deep-sea animals to lay their eggs on. For example, this image shows a mass of snails (gastropods called Neptunea) and their egg masses (the yellow towers) using clumps of tubeworms as a place to anchor them in the otherwise soft sediment of the deep.
Snails and Their Egg Masses
Image courtesy of Ocean Exploration Trust - Cruise NA095. Download larger version (jpg, 3.7 MB).

Seeps are home to many animals, increasing biodiversity in the deep by creating food from chemical energy and structure for deep-sea animals to lay their eggs on. For example, this image shows a mass of snails (gastropods called Neptunea) and their egg masses (the yellow towers) using clumps of tubeworms as a place to anchor them in the otherwise soft sediment of the deep.

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