Science

AbyssBox Displays Deep-Sea Animals Under Pressure

Unless you're James Cameron, you've probably never seen the animals that live in the hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the ocean. That's because these deep-sea species can't survive in a standard aquarium. Normal atmospheric pressure will kill them. Luckily, one of Europe's largest aquariums has developed a solution: a unique high-pressure viewing cabinet called the AbyssBox
  • AbyssBox
  • Feature Creatures
  • Feeding Tube
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Vincent Fournier
abyssbox
Unless you're James Cameron, you've probably never seen a Mirocaris fortunate—a shrimp that lives in the hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the ocean. Or a little white crab named Segonzacia mesatlantica. That's because these deep-sea species can't survive in a standard aquarium—normal atmospheric pressure will kill them. Luckily, one of Europe's largest aquariums, Océanopolis, in Brest, France, has developed a solution: a unique high-pressure viewing cabinet called the AbyssBox (above). Visitors can now stare into the 4.25-gallon display and see the kinds of deep-dwelling sea fauna you used to have to spend a Titanic-sized budget to glimpse. Click through the photo gallery above to learn how it works. Photo: Vincent Fournier

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