Photos: "Spectacular" Deep-Sea Species Found off Canada

New Purple Octopus?
Photograph courtesy Bedford Institute of Oceanography
An unidentified purple octopus (pictured) is one of 11 potentially new species found this month during a deep-sea expedition off Canada's Atlantic coast, scientists say.
(Related pictures: "Surprising Creatures Found Deep off Australia.")
Still at sea, a team of Canadian and Spanish researchers is using a remotely operated vehicle called ROPOS for dives off Newfoundland with a maximum depth of about 9,800 feet (3,000 meters).
The 20-day expedition aims to uncover relationships between cold-water coral and other bottom-dwelling creatures in a pristine yet "alien" environment, according to the researchers' blog.
"It's been really spectacular," Ellen Kenchington, research scientist with the Fisheries Department of Canada—one of the organizations involved in the project—told Canada's CTV News website.
"It's really changing our perception of the diversity that's out there. ... We're seeing new species in deeper waters."
Published July 27, 2010
Unidentified Sea Pen
Photograph courtesy Bedford Institute of Oceanography
An unidentified sea pen (pictured) belonging to the order Pennatulacea has been discovered during the July 2010 expedition on the Atlantic coast off Newfoundland.
Actually soft corals, sea pens are so named because their rows of polyps resemble old-fashioned quill pens, according to the University of California Museum of Paleontology.
(Related: "Hundreds of New Reef Creatures Found in Australia.")
Published July 27, 2010
Remotely Operated Vehicle
Photograph courtesy Bedford Institute of Oceanography
The expedition's remotely operated vehicle (vehicle arm pictured next to an unidentified object) observed and cataloged a deep seafloor region off the Flemish Cap (see map) that's never been subject to trawling or other human activities, according to the project blog.
Punctuated by large rock outcrops, the seafloor is covered in coral and sponge species never, or only rarely, seen by scientists.
(Related: "Pictures: Hard-to-See Sea Creatures Revealed.")
Published July 27, 2010
Solitary Cup Coral
Photograph courtesy Bedford Institute of Oceanography
ROPOS, the expedition's remotely operated vehicle, had a high-definition digital camera, which captured several images of rare species, such as this flower-like solitary cup coral. These cup corals are also common off North America's Pacific Coast, according to Louisiana State University.
(Also see "New Species Pictures: Deep-Sea 'Jumbo Dumbo,' More.")
Published July 27, 2010
Vase Sponge
Photograph courtesy Bedford Institute of Oceanography
A possibly new species of vase sponge was one of the bottom dwellers discovered during the expedition. The simplest multicellular animals, sponges have no organs but possess many "pores," which lead to canals and chambers, according to Bellarmine University.
(Related: "New Deep-Sea Creatures Found in Atlantic.")
Published July 27, 2010
Coral With Sea Anemones
Photograph courtesy Bedford Institute of Oceanography
Bright pink anemones "decorate" polyps of coral in the Paramuricea species in a picture taken during the July 2010 expedition off Newfoundland.
Sea anemones are coral relatives that usually attach to rock or coral. The animals have stinging tentacles that can paralyze and entangle small prey, according to the U.S. National Museum of Natural History.
(Also see "Pictures: Strange Sea Creatures Found off Greenland.")
Published July 27, 2010
Unidentified Sponge
Photograph courtesy Bedford Institute of Oceanography
This unrecognizable sponge species (pictured) is among the "major biological highlights" found on volcanic mounds off Newfoundland on July 20, according to the project blog.
"What an unexpected dive!" project scientists wrote after seeing this sponge, black corals, and other oddities.
(Related pictures: "Weird New Animals From Antarctica's Deep Seas.")
Published July 27, 2010
New Species of Bivalve
Photograph courtesy Bedford Institute of Oceanography
This recently identified species of bivalve mollusk was also discovered in the July survey of the Newfoundland depths. Bivalves—known for their "hinged," two-sided shells—can burrow into sediment or live on the ocean floor, according to the University of California Museum of Paleontology. Some species even snap their shells open and shut to swim.
Published July 27, 2010
"Spectacular" Sponges
Photograph courtesy Bedford Institute of Oceanography
This "spectacularly dense" bed of large white sponges of the family Geodiidae was captured during the Newfoundland project's last dive, according to the expedition blog.

The final dive, which covered a 4,000-foot-deep (1,200-meter-deep) span of water, revealed a vast array of habitats, from cliffside terraces full of sponges and corals to sandy bottoms nearly devoid of life.
(More pictures: "New Species, 'Living Fossils' Found in Atlantic.)
Published July 27, 2010