During the Océano Profundo 2015: Exploring Puerto Rico’s Seamounts, Trenches, and Troughs expedition, while exploring the top of a Late Oligocene to Pilocene platform carbonate sequence and traversed a relatively minor fault scarp. This fault is the easterly extension of an approximately 100-kilometer-long fault system that forms the northern wall of the rift between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, when witnessed an unusual encounter.

Seeing two deep-sea animals interacting with each other is rare. What is particularly rare is when they behave the opposite of how we expect them to. As we approached this armored searobin, a brittle star climbed on top of it. We watched to see if the fish would try to eat the brittle star, but as it turns out, it just wanted to dislodge the extra baggage. The brittle star then proceeded to climb on top of the sea robin two more times...persistent little guy!

Learn more about the expedition: [ Ссылка ]

NOAA Ocean Exploration, Exploring Puerto Rico’s Seamounts, Trenches, and Troughs.

свернуть