Biodiversity
Brain
Genetics
Marine BiOLogy
MicrobiOLogy
PaleontOLogy
ZoOLogy
AnthropOLogy
ArchaeOLogy
Astronomy
Climate Change
Earth
Physics
Water
Ecosystem Connections
Click on the
links below to see connections in this ecosystem.
As marine scientists discover new deep-sea creatures, they’ll learn how these and other species depend on each other.
The purple-reddish coloring on the body of the bloodybelly comb jelly hides the glowing bodies of the tunicates it eats.
The bloodybelly comb jelly is a swift swimmer. But one of its predators, the lantern fish, is often faster.
Tunicates gobble up sea snow. It’s a tasty mix of dead phytoplankton, algae, animals, and their nutrient-rich poop. Yum!
A lantern fish is a favorite “light lunch” for the cock-eyed squid.
If the cookie-cutter shark attaches itself to this squid, it’ll then twist to cut out a cookie-shaped chunk of flesh!
Snipe eels sweep their beaks through the water to catch sergestid shrimp.
The long, slender snipe eel is also part of the cookie-cutter shark’s diet.
Leatherback turtles feed on jellyfish and small fish, such as the lantern fish.
As marine scientists discover new deep-sea creatures, they’ll learn how these and other species depend on each other.
Image Credits:
Wave pattern, created by Dmitry Kovalev from the Noun Project; Luke's photo, courtesy of Luke; Illustrations, AMNH / Sean Murtha.