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Habitat: Seafloor

Snailfish

animal Type Maximum Size 50 cm (20 inches) Depth Tide pools–8,300 m (up to 27,200 feet) Habitat Seafloor From tide pools (intertidal zone) to abyssal zone and trenches (hadal zone), occasionally midwater Diet Invertebrates Range Worldwide About It’s stick or swim for these fishes. Most snailfishes (family Liparidae) live near the seafloor, riding the currents …

Acorn worm

Acorn worms move along the deep seafloor feasting on organic material and locking away carbon from the ocean’s surface.

Predatory tunicate

The predatory tunicate uses a cavernous hood to snap up unsuspecting crustaceans and other morsels of food.

Armored sea cucumber

The armored sea cucumber holds tight to the seafloor, with feathery tentacles to catch food and hard scales to protect from predators.

Fingered goblet sponge

Massive fingered goblet sponges grow together in dense gardens that offer safety and shelter for an assortment of other animals.

Giant cusk-eel

The giant cusk-eel has a keen sense of smell to find food on the sprawling deep seafloor.

Warty deep-sea octopus

A mother warty deep-sea octopus protects her eggs for record time to better the odds that her hatchlings survive.

Deep-sea skate

Deep-sea skates favor particular habitats or “neighborhoods” on the deep seafloor.

Spiny star

The spiny star has a particular appetite for deep-sea corals, using tiny tube feet to scale towering corals and find a delicious dinner.

Pearl octopus

Large numbers of pearl octopus gather at deep-sea thermal springs to mate and nest.