Marine Dimensions Dead Man's Fingers

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Creature Feature

Alcyonium digitatum

Dead Man’s Fingers are a typical Soft Coral found attached to rocks and stones along Ireland’s coasts. Soft Corals are made up of hundreds of tiny individuals called polyps which live together as a colony. The polyps look like tiny anemones (about 1cm long) and when they are out feeding, they can give the coral a sort of soft fluffy appearance. If there is any sign of disturbance, the polyps quickly retreat into the protective skeletal structure that connects all the individuals in the colony. This photograph shows ‘fingers’ that are displaying both feeding and retreating polyps. More info... References

This macro shot of Dead Man's Fingers depicts the individual polyps that live together as a colony.