Prof. Dr. Les Watling, Hawaii
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In the depths of our oceans, where no human being can reach without specially built and equipped underwater vehicles (ROV, AUV, UUV), there live animals that are in no way inferior in beauty and grace to their tropical cousins, but in constant darkness.
The deep-sea gorgonian Iridogorgia splendens lives at great depths in very cold water and is only known from the New England seamounts Balanus, Kelvin, Rehoboth and Nashville.
Due to the darkness at these depths, the gorgonian cannot symbiotically interact with zooxanthellae and must therefore catch zooplankton for food.
Etymology: " splendor" = splendid, magnificent, radiant, all terms that easily come to mind when this species is observed in situ.
Distribution: 1700 - 2200 meters known.
We like to thank Prof. Dr. Les Watling from Hawaiii for the permission to use his photos.
Source:
Watling, Les, "A Review of the Genus Iridogorgia (Octocorallia : Chrysogorgiidae) and Its Relatives, Chiefly from the North AtlanticOcean" (2007).
Marine Sciences Faculty Scholarship.
9.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/sms_facpub/9
open access
The deep-sea gorgonian Iridogorgia splendens lives at great depths in very cold water and is only known from the New England seamounts Balanus, Kelvin, Rehoboth and Nashville.
Due to the darkness at these depths, the gorgonian cannot symbiotically interact with zooxanthellae and must therefore catch zooplankton for food.
Etymology: " splendor" = splendid, magnificent, radiant, all terms that easily come to mind when this species is observed in situ.
Distribution: 1700 - 2200 meters known.
We like to thank Prof. Dr. Les Watling from Hawaiii for the permission to use his photos.
Source:
Watling, Les, "A Review of the Genus Iridogorgia (Octocorallia : Chrysogorgiidae) and Its Relatives, Chiefly from the North AtlanticOcean" (2007).
Marine Sciences Faculty Scholarship.
9.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/sms_facpub/9
open access
