Spreading out

Recently, Eric took some wonderful photographs of some local soft corals.  Here are a few of his best images.  This is Cryptophyton goddardi from the rocky intertidal zone:

 

Cryptophyton goddardi polyps grow in dense clusters, often on the underside of rocky ledges:

 

The coral polyps use their long, pinnate tentacles to capture zooplankton and food particles from the water:

 

P.S.  I first wrote about this species a while ago, on 25 January 2012, so for a little more information about them, click here.

P.P.S.  And if you'd like to compare Cryptophyton goddardi with another species of octocoral, Thrombophyton trachydermum, review the post called "A sparking necklace" from 28 June 2016.