Pink Sea Fan

Cnidarian

Identification & Biology

• IdentificationA large, tree-like gorgonian sea fan that grows in a flat, fan-shaped plane perpendicular to the prevailing current. Pale pink to whitish, with tiny white polyps covering the branches. The skeleton is flexible and horny.
• SizeColony height up to 50 cm. Fan width up to 40 cm.
• Social HabitColonial. Grows oriented across the current to maximise food capture by its polyps. Long-lived and slow-growing.
• HabitatRocky reefs, walls, and overhangs with good current flow. Requires hard substrate for attachment.
• Depth10 to 200 m. Most common between 15 and 50 m.
• Feeds OnPlankton and suspended organic particles captured by the polyps.
• DistributionEastern Atlantic from the British Isles to West Africa, and throughout the Mediterranean Sea. Present in Maltese waters.
• DescriptionEunicella verrucosa is one of the larger gorgonian sea fans found in Malta. Its pale pink, fan-shaped colonies are a beautiful feature of deeper rocky walls, always growing oriented across the current to present maximum surface area to the plankton-bearing water flow. Like all gorgonians, it is slow-growing and can take decades to reach full size. Anchor damage and careless divers are significant threats.