Sea Fan

STATION F: That's beautiful!  The Purple Sea Fan (Gorgonia ventalina) is moving slowly, back and forth, in the current.  This beautiful underwater scene shows many interesting creatures. 

That's a Schoolmaster fish (Lutjanus apodus) in the shadow of a Purple Sea Fan.  Of course you know the fish is an animal, but the Sea Fan is also an animal!  It's a colonial animal, somewhat like a coral.  Some people call its category "soft coral" because it has a flexible skeleton, not a hard, limestone skeleton like true coral. 

Take a careful look at another animal; it's right at the tip of the Schoolmaster's nose.  You should recognize it, because you just saw its relative at the last station.  Hint: see those holes at the top of each branch?!  It's category name starts with an "S."

Carly Kauffman

 

As you swim carefully over the Purple Sea Fans, you spot something interesting crawling slowly on one Fan. Go to Station G.