Animals on the sea bottom
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| Laqueus californianus and Terebratulina crossei Photo: Dave Wrobel (c) 1995 MBARI This photo shows two types of brachiopod that live in Monterey Bay--Terebraulina (the larger) and Laqueus (the smaller). Although they look like clams, brachiopods are "living fossils", survivors of an entirely different group of shelled animals, most varieties of which died off about 60 million years ago. |
Basket sponges Photo: (c) 2000 MBARI These large basket sponges (20-30 cm across) were observed on the flanks of the Davidson Seamount, an ancient undersea volcano off the Coast of Central California. |
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| Calyptogena spp. clams Photo: (c) 1995 MBARI These Vesicomyid clams live around methane seeps on the bottom of Monterey Bay, where hydrogen sulphide in the sediments would be toxic to most other animals. |
Megalodicopia hians Photo: Dave Wrobel (c) 1995 MBARI This photo shows one of the more unusual creatures found in Monterey Canyon - a carnivorous tunicate. Most tunicates are filter feeders, living on plankton too small to see with your naked eye. Megalodicopia opens its 5-inch-wide gelatinous gullet to capture swimming or drifting prey such as krill (Euphasia pacifica). It can also filter feed if necessary. |
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