WATCH: Underwater Microscope Films Tiny Corals Kiss, Fight, Dance on Seafloor

The Benthic Underwater Microsope (BUM), a new diver-operated underwater microscope and computer interface, gives a first look at how organisms behave in their natural environment.

This device is capable of observing extremely small microorganisms even at 10 micrometers--two to five times powerful than previous underwater microscopes, Washington Post reports.

Along with other organisms, the BUM showed fascinating shots of tiny corals kissing, fighting and dancing on the seafloor.

Developed by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography's Jaffe Laboratory for Underwater Imaging at the University of California San Diego, the researchers used BUM to observe how coral polyps in the Red Sea feed, compete with other corals and respond to algae colonization.

The study published in the journal Nature noted that coral polyps, unlike coral reefs, are soft-bodied animals that have tiny mouths and tentacles. Using the BUM, scientists were surprised to see the corals "kissing" each other.

Andrew Mullen, co-lead author of the study, said they are unsure why coral polyps are kissing, but guesses that it may be a way of exchanging nutrients.