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Sea fans

Sea fans

Appearance and lifestyle:

Sea fans (Gorgonia ventalina) are composed of numerous polyps that grow together in a flat, fanlike pattern. In sea fan colonies, each polyp has eight tentacles, and they spread these out to form a net for catching plankton. An internal skeleton, composed of a scleroprotein called gorgonin, supports the branches while the polyps form a layer over the entire surface. Most sea fans grow to roughly 60 cm in height

Habitat:

Found in the shallow waters of all oceans.

Diet:

Sea fans eat plankton and organic particles.

Threats:

Some threats that sea fans face are storm damage, climate change, pollution etc.

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In favourable conditions sea fans can regrow damaged parts.