A close look at the backside structure of a coral in the genus Enallopsammia. A feature of these kinds of corals is that all of the individual coral polyps face in one direction, likely into the current to catch food floating by. At the base of the wall explored during Dive 10 of the 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones expedition, we also saw black corals in the genera Bathypathes and Stauropathes, Acanella bamboo corals, and Chrysogorgia and Anthomastus soft corals.
Coral Structure
Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones: New England and Corner Rise Seamounts. Download larger version (jpg, 1.1 MB).

A close look at the backside structure of a coral in the genus Enallopsammia. A feature of these kinds of corals is that all of the individual coral polyps face in one direction, likely into the current to catch food floating by. At the base of the wall explored during Dive 10 of the 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones expedition, we also saw black corals in the genera Bathypathes and Stauropathes, Acanella bamboo corals, and Chrysogorgia and Anthomastus soft corals.

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