During Dive 10 of Windows to the Deep 2021, at a depth of 2,361 meters (1.47 miles), we encountered this ophiuroid brittle star intertwined in the branches of an octocoral in the genus Paramuricea. As both of these animals are of interest as part of NOAA’s wider Atlantic Seafloor Partnership for Integrated Research and Exploration (ASPIRE) campaign, we collected the pair for further study.
Brittle Star
Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Windows to the Deep 2021.
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During Dive 10 of Windows to the Deep 2021, at a depth of 2,361 meters (1.47 miles), we encountered this ophiuroid brittle star intertwined in the branches of an octocoral in the genus Paramuricea. As both of these animals are of interest as part of NOAA’s wider Atlantic Seafloor Partnership for Integrated Research and Exploration (ASPIRE) campaign, we collected the pair for further study.