Discovered in the deep: the ‘forest of the weird’

‘ET’ sponges and soft corals make up what scientists have named the ‘forest of the weird’ in the deep Pacific Ocean. Photograph: 'National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) | Office of Exploration and Research (OER)'

In 2017, on a submerged volcano a mile and a half underwater in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a team of scientists were left gasping in wonder at a scene they called the “forest of the weird”.

Instead of trees, the forest was made up of oddly shaped corals, including some that resembled frizzy bottlebrushes (Rhodaniridogorgia) and others that were flattened and harp-shaped (Narella) with leggy, pink brittlestars, relatives of starfish, wrapped around their branches.