A bubblegum coral grows from the vertical face of a rock at 2,614 meters (~8,575 feet) depth in the De Soto Canyon region. At the base of the colony (on the right) the disc-shaped holdfast, which firmly attaches the colony to the seafloor, can be seen. It is not unusual for us to find holdfasts on the seafloor long after the rest of the colony has died.
Bubblegum Coral
Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Gulf of Mexico 2018.
A bubblegum coral grows from the vertical face of a rock at 2,614 meters (~8,575 feet) depth in the De Soto Canyon region. At the base of the colony (on the right) the disc-shaped holdfast, which firmly attaches the colony to the seafloor, can be seen. It is not unusual for us to find holdfasts on the seafloor long after the rest of the colony has died. Download larger version (jpg, 1.1 MB).
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