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Exhibit
See the Nippled sea fan at Two Oceans Aquarium in this exhibit:
Nippled sea fan Eunicella papillosa
Photograph by Charles Griffiths
Fast facts
- Conservation status: Least Concern
- Lives in cold and warm water
- Found in caves or sides of boulders that are sheltered from currents
Sea fans are related to soft corals.
They look like small trees, but they are actually colonies of animals (polyps) living together in the shape of a fan. Each polyp has eight feathery tentacles.
When the polyps come out to feed they give the ‘branches’ a fuzzy appearance.
Nippled sea fans may be seen in caves or on the sides of boulders, which are sheltered from strong currents.
They live in warm and cold water – from Luderitz to Sodwana – in depths of up to 360m.