Life on the Ocean Floor

The deep seafloor hosts distinct communities adapted to high pressure, darkness, and cold:

• Abyssal Plains: Sea cucumbers, brittle stars, polychaete worms.
• Mid-Ocean Ridges: Hydrothermal-vent shrimp, tube worms, sea urchins.
• Trenches: Giant squid, anglerfish, sea dragons.
• Seagrass Meadows: Sea turtles, dugongs, manatees.
• Coral Reefs: Fish, sea turtles, sharks, invertebrates.

Each habitat supports unique ecosystems driven by chemosynthesis or photosynthesis.