divepix - Wire Coral

Wire Coral

Aspect:	Looks like a single (no branches) barbed wire winding its way up into the water. The "barb" is in fact a dense pattern of radially deployed polyps along the central structure of this black coral.
Population:	Common, usually on the slopes of deep-plunging reefs.
Notable feature:	Looks dark overall, but under flashlight reveals a brown or orange stem form which a continuous stream of white polyps radially protrudes.
Environment:	Generally along reef slopes from 20 metres on.
Behaviour:	Polyps retract if accidentally touched.

More in this category: « Scraggly Black Coral