200 – 3,500 m

The sea floor

Abyssal plains, hydrothermal vents, cold-water corals, whale falls: the life that inhabits the ocean floor.

92 species

GrenadierFamily Macrouridae Tripod fishBathypterois grallator Swimming sea cucumberEnypniastes eximia Giant sea spiderColossendeis colossea Wolftrap anglerfishThaumatichthys sp. SnailfishFamily Liparidae BlobfishPsychrolutes marcidus Giant isopodBathynomus giganteus Brooding octopusGraneledone boreopacifica Sea pigScotoplanes globosa Gummy squirrelPsychropotes longicauda Brittle starClass Ophiuroidea Brisingid sea starOrder Brisingida Harp spongeChondrocladia lyra XenophyophoreClass Xenophyophorea Abyssal sea penUmbellula sp. Venus flytrap anemoneActinoscyphia aurelia Sea lilyStalked crinoids HagfishFamily Myxinidae Deep-sea skateBathyraja sp. Deep-sea lizardfishBathysaurus ferox Blind lobsterFamily Polychelidae Black coralOrder Antipatharia Scavenging amphipodEurythenes gryllus Greenland halibutReinhardtius hippoglossoides Basket starGorgonocephalus arcticus Glacial eelpoutLycodes frigidus Northern shrimpPandalus borealis Arctic giant spongeGeodia hentscheli Giant Antarctic isopodGlyptonotus antarcticus Volcano spongeAnoxycalyx joubini Southern Ocean yeti crabKiwa tyleri Giant Antarctic octopusMegaleledone setebos Giant Antarctic ribbon wormParborlasia corrugatus Giant scale wormEulagisca gigantea Giant tube wormRiftia pachyptila Pompeii wormAlvinella pompejana Yeti crabKiwa hirsuta Japanese spider crabMacrocheira kaempferi Giant Pacific octopusEnteroctopus dofleini Casper ghost octopusUndescribed incirrate octopus Giant vent clamCalyptogena magnifica Venus’ flower basketEuplectella aspergillum Vent eelpoutThermarces cerberus Eyeless vent shrimpRimicaris exoculata Deep-reef white coralDesmophyllum pertusum (formerly Lophelia pertusa) Azores vent musselBathymodiolus azoricus MonkfishLophius piscatorius Bird’s nest spongePheronema carpenteri Pink abyssal sea cucumberAmperima rosea Scaly-foot gastropodChrysomallon squamiferum Indian Ocean vent shrimpRimicaris kairei Java giant isopodBathynomus raksasa Seafarer’s ghost sharkChimaera willwatchi Coral Seamount blue sea cucumberPannychia taylorae Giant abyssal anemoneRelicanthus daphneae Snow crabChionoecetes opilio Sculptured shrimpSclerocrangon boreas Kolga sea cucumberKolga hyalina Sea strawberryGersemia rubiformis Spoonarm octopusBathypolypus arcticus Warty bobtail squidRossia palpebrosa Arctic skateAmblyraja hyperborea Arctic seep threadwormSclerolinum contortum Ten-legged sea spiderDecolopoda australis Antarctic sea starOdontaster validus Giant Antarctic sea starMacroptychaster accrescens Antarctic sea urchinSterechinus neumayeri Abyssal Antarctic dragonfishBathydraco scotiae Emerald rockcodTrematomus bernacchii Turquet’s octopusPareledone turqueti Antarctic feather starPromachocrinus kerguelensis and related species Antarctic slope shrimpNematocarcinus lanceopes Pioneer tubewormTevnia jerichonana Scorching chimney wormParalvinella sulfincola Hairy vent snailAlviniconcha spp. White vent crabBythograea thermydron Kairei blind crabAustinograea rodriguezensis Atlantic vent eelpoutPachycara thermophilum Long-rostrum shrimpAlvinocaris longirostris Methane musselGigantidas childressi (formerly Bathymodiolus childressi) Centenarian tubewormLamellibrachia luymesi Vent octopusVulcanoctopus hydrothermalis Bone-eating snailRubyspira osteovora Methane ice wormSirsoe methanicola (formerly Hesiocaeca methanicola) Bamboo coralKeratoisis sp. (family Isididae, broadly defined) Bubblegum coralParagorgia arborea Carnivorous umbrella spongeCladorhiza kensmithi Scarlet king crabLithodes couesi Atlantic batfishDibranchus atlanticus Bone-eating zombie wormOsedax rubiplumus Carcass bacterial matsBeggiatoa spp.