The snuggliest snuffy shuffling across the seafloor 🤗 The sea pig Scotoplanes is one of the most abundant animals found on the abyssal plain. These adorable orbs walk around the seafloor on elongated tube feet, which keep them from sinking into the soft mud. They are deposit feeders, digging decaying pieces of algae and animals out of the mud using ten tentacles surrounding their mouth. Long, whip-like sensory organs called papillae, help them find nutrient-rich food falling from shallower waters. Their populations are directly influenced by what happens at the surface of the ocean. For example, large groups of sea pigs can be found feasting near sunken whale carcasses and other food on the seafloor. (fb)

Float along with this radiant resident of the deep. ♥️ Siphonophores (pronounced “sigh-fawn-oh-fours”) are colonial creatures made up of specialized segments that work together as one. Scientists have described some 175 siphonophore species. Most siphonophores live far from the seafloor and call the endless expanse of the ocean’s midwater zone their home. Because their delicate bodies can break apart at the slightest touch, siphonophores are hard to study. Thankfully, MBARI’s remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) give scientists the opportunity to get a close-up look at deep-sea siphonophores without damaging them. We’ve discovered a rainbow of siphonophores in the depths of Monterey Bay and beyond, like this stunningly scarlet species, Marrus claudanielis, described by MBARI researchers and their collaborators in 2005. Red siphonophores can grow up to 30 centimeters (12 inches). They have been observed in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and northwestern Atlantic from 500 to 1,500 meters (1,600 to 4,900 feet). (fb)