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Dendronephthya (carnation coral)
A benthic blossom"
It's lucky that this florid and seemingly fluorescent organism carries the nickname "carnation coral," because its more proper name is quite a mouthful. The deep sea-dwelling dendronephthya is a kind of soft coral, which is exactly what it sounds like, in contrast with its rigid, reef-forming cousins. Both soft and stony corals are colonies of tiny polyps – the "blossoms" on the carnation coral. This reveals their kinship with jellyfish, which begin life in a polyp stage.
A benthic blossom"
It's lucky that this florid and seemingly fluorescent organism carries the nickname "carnation coral," because its more proper name is quite a mouthful. The deep sea-dwelling dendronephthya is a kind of soft coral, which is exactly what it sounds like, in contrast with its rigid, reef-forming cousins. Both soft and stony corals are colonies of tiny polyps – the "blossoms" on the carnation coral. This reveals their kinship with jellyfish, which begin life in a polyp stage.
This benthic beauty is actually a colony organism made up of numerous polyps.
© Giordano Cipriani / The Image Bank / Getty Images 2026-09-11 08:45:51 :