We’ve collected seawater samples from different depths to examine the plankton assemblages living in the surface waters around our site, including zooplankton like radiolarians and phytoplankton such as diatoms. During this procedure, a special canister is lowered over the side and into the water. After one retrieval, we discovered that a few encrusting invertebrates had been scraped from the ship’s hull. These were kept for a time before returning them to the sea. Here, Aaron de Loach (left; Physical Properties Laboratory, IODP JRSO) and Susan Boehm (right; X-ray Laboratory, IODP JRSO) take a closer look. (Credit: Bill Crawford, IODP JRSO) [Photo ID: exp355_166]