The colonlal nephtheid soft coral Gersemla antarctjca IS a deposit feeder In the soft sedlment communities of McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. This feeding strategy involves coordinated bending of the entire colony against the substrate and is previously undescribed among soft corals. Gut content analyses indlcate a mixed diet that includes benthlc diatoms, foraminiferans, and particulate 01-ganic matter Soft coral colomes move per~odlcally in an 'inch worm' fashion, presumably to exploit und~sturbed sedlments. In fact. when colonies encounter previously grazed sediment they contract from the substrate almost immediately. This feeding strategy has l~kely evolved to supplement the capture of planktonic prey and is of particular importance in the Antarctic, and potentially the deep sea, where water column productivity is seasonally constrained.