Appearance and lifestyle:
Sinuous sea fans (Eunicella tricoronata) 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. Sinuous sea fans are flattened with all the “branches” on the same plane. Small spider crabs can often be spotted hiding among the branches. Sinuous sea fans are vivid orange-yellow in colour, and they can grow up to 300-400mm tall and 7-10mm wide.
Habitat:
Grows on rocky reefs 10-40m deep.
Diet:
Sinuous sea fans are filter feeders that feed on plankton and organic particles.
Threats:
Climate change, pollution, physical damage etc.
Each polyp has eight feather-like tentacles
Spider crabs hide on the branches of this fan
Sea fans are animals and not plants