Squishy, Floaty, and Swimmy: Creatures of Palau’s Deep Ocean

While diving on a newly mapped ancient unnamed seamount along the eastern edge of Palau National Marine Sanctuary, our Corps of Exploration encountered many animals that call the slopes their home. Learn about cnidarians, peek at a blind lobster Homeryon asper from a living fossil lineage of crustaceans nestled within a bamboo coral colony, and encounter a gorgeous purple “headless chicken monster,” aka an Enypniastes swimming sea cucumber. You’ll also spot two adorable anglerfish — Coelophrys sp. batfish —  hovering above the seafloor, a behavior uncommon to our scientists. From gelatinous jellyfish to a “what is that?” predatory tunicate lovingly compared to a hamburger bun, get up-close-and-personal with the marine life of Palau’s deep waters for a crash course in deep sea marine biology. This seamount sits between the Yap and Palau trenches making it potentially unique from other surrounding features.

This dive is part of our NA167 Lebuu’s Voyage expedition to explore the deep sea inside and around the Palau National Marine Sanctuary. This expedition, in partnership with the Palau International Coral Reef Center, is funded by NOAA Ocean Exploration via the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute and named Lebuu’s Voyage by Palauan stakeholders as part of a strategic effort to advance traditional knowledge and best practices in tandem with scientific understanding.