Hydrothermal vents, driven by volcanism along tectonic plate boundaries, are short-lived openings in the seafloor that spew super-heated, chemical-rich fluids into the ocean. Often composed of dramatic chimney spires, hydrothermal vents are important habitat in the deep ocean, supporting chemosynthetic communities that can include shrimp, tubeworms, crabs, fish, and more. https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/news/exploration-extras/24-national-ocean-month/welcome.html#chemosynthetic | NOAA Ocean Explo

How do giant red-tipped tube worms at hydrothermal vents get from place to place in the deep sea? And how do their larvae (captured here by #ROVJason) survive the trip in the cold, dark ocean? At active vents, hot water mixes with seawater to form plumes that rise until they cool off, about 200 meters (roughly 650 feet) above the sea floor. This fast-moving water forms a sort of “larval superhighway” that helps vent animals colonize new areas. Learn more about how vent animals survive–and thrive

The world’s heaviest worms thrive in an extreme environment. 🔥✨ Towering colonies of giant tubeworms (Riftia pachyptila) grow where hot, mineral-laden water flows out of the deep seafloor. Unlike most animals, they don’t eat; instead, bacteria living in their guts transform sulfur into energy for them. As harsh as their environment is, giant tubeworms live surrounded by a community of other animals—and their size doesn’t necessarily protect them. Their gills, which resemble foot-long red feathe