A chirostylid crab, a type of squat lobster, was seen crawling on a gorgonian seafan (possibly Paracis sp.).
Squat Lobster
Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Mountains in the Deep: Exploring the Central Pacific Basin. Download larger version (jpg, 1.1 MB).

A chirostylid crab, a type of squat lobster, was seen crawling on a gorgonian seafan (possibly Paracis sp.). In the upper right you can see the coiled arms of an ophiuroid (brittle star) wrapped around the seafan branches. Deep-sea corals provide habitat for many other animals.

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