Video: Hydrothermal Vent Creatures
Travel to a world of perpetual night--the deep ocean hydrothermal vents near the Galapagos Rift where life thrives around superheated water spewing from deep inside the Earth. Discovered only in 1977, hydrothermal vents are home to dozens of previously unknown species. Huge red-tipped tube worms, ghostly fish, strange shrimp with eyes on their backs and other unique species thrive in these extreme deep ocean ecosystems found near undersea volcanic chains. How is life possible here? In a process called chemosynthesis, microbes at the base of the foodchain convert chemicals from the vents into usable energy. See closeup footage of hydrothermal vents and species in this clip from the IMAX film "Volcanoes of the Deep."
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Comments
Amazing!
Upon looking for content on hydrothermal vents for an extra credit assignment for Biology, I encountered this and it blew my mind. Not only did I learn all the necessary elements for the paper, but it was simple, short and sweet. This video is amazing!
Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 03/21/2013 - 1:28am.Science
This animals are the best animals in the world.
Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 03/20/2013 - 1:33pm.The Video
The video is so amazing. Unbelievable! I thought when earth's first animals (not dinosaurs) were found they were called trilobites. Wow! Best video I saw in my life.
Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 03/18/2013 - 7:44pm.hydrothermal vent
Most of us are familiar with "Old Faithful" in Yellowstone National Park. This famous geyser erupts several times a day. It spouts a column of water heated by volcanic rock deep within the Earth's crust.
A hydrothermal vent is a geyser on the seafloor. It continuously spews super-hot, mineral-rich water that helps support a diverse community of organisms. Although most of the deep sea is sparsely populated, vent sites teem with a fascinating array of life. Tubeworms and huge clams are the most distinctive inhabitants of Pacific Ocean vent sites, while eyeless shrimp are found only at vents in the Atlantic Ocean.
The first hydrothermal vent was discovered in 1977. They are known to exist in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Most are found at an average depth of about 2,100 meters (7,000 ft) in areas of seafloor spreading along the Mid-Ocean Ridge system- the underwater mountain chain that snakes its way around the globe.
Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 02/13/2013 - 10:36am.Fascinating. It really
Fascinating. It really increased my interest in marine biology :)
Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 12/07/2011 - 7:48am.comment_wrapper_curve
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