Beautiful white polyps on antipatharia coral bush (black coral); note zooanthids colonizing dead branch to left

Beautiful white polyps on antipatharia coral bush (black coral); note zooanthids colonizing dead branch to left. A Leiopathes black coral colony at 425 meters depth on the West Florida escarpment. Red lasers are visible on the branches and polyps near the middle of the screen, 10 centimeters apart. Based on published growth rates, this black coral could be between 400 and 1000 years old.

Photo Location: Gulf of Mexico, North