Gorgonian - Sea Fan

Gorgonian
A sea whip or sea fan. Prominent in the tropics - sub tropics.  Tiny polyps form a colony, they can be a wide range of colors, purple, yellow, red.

Each polyp has 8 tentacles, which catch plankton. Becuase they use their arms to catch their food they are called filter feeders

Other fauna such as Hydrozoa, Bryozoa and Brittle Stars are known to dwell within the branches of a gorgonian.

Hydrozoa belongs to the jellyfish family.
Bryozoa is a type of coral moss animal.
Brittle Stars are closely related to sea starts, with 5 long slender whip like arms

The Pygmy seahorse makes home on the Muricella Plectana Gorgonian

Scientific Classification

Phylum:   Cnidaria
Class:      Anthozoa
Subclass: Alcyonaria
Order:     Gorgonacea