expl2233
A large 20-cm wide Xenophyophore. Xenophyophores are single cell animals called protists. As benthic particulate feeders, xenophyophores normally sift through the sediments on the sea floor. and excrete a slimy substance; in locations with a dense population of xenophyophores, such as the bottom of trenches, their density may be as high as 2000 per 100 square meters. Atlantic Ocean, Mid-Atlantic Ridge. 2005 July.
Credit: IFE, URI-IAO, UW, Lost City Science Party; NOAA/OAR/OER; The Lost City 2005 Expedition.