Gurney's sea pen
Ptilosarcus gurneyi
Gurney's sea pen is a colonial soft coral living partly buried in sandy or muddy seafloors from the northeast Pacific intertidal zone to deeper coastal waters. Its feather-like stalk extends into the current, where many tiny polyps filter plankton and suspended organic particles. When disturbed by fish, sea stars, or nudibranch predators, the colony can rapidly withdraw into its burrow-like base in the sediment. A notable trait is its bioluminescence: touched colonies may glow with greenish waves of light along the stalk.
- Type
- Water
- Conservation status
- NE
Growth chain
- ?
- ?
- Gurney's sea pen