This story originally appeared on UCSB's The Current .
Santa Barbara Channel’s natural oil seeps are a beach-goer’s bane, flecking the shores with blobs of tar. But the leaking petroleum also creates fascinating geologic and biologic features. About 10 miles off the coast of Santa Barbara, several jet-black mounds interrupt the featureless sea floor. These asphalt volcanoes, virtually unique in the world, provide a rare habitat in a region known for its underwater biodiversity.
Marine scientists have compiled the first detailed description of the animal communities that call these formations home. The findings, published in the Bulletin of Marine Science , detail the different kinds of fishes that live on and around the volcanoes.