Like most octocorals, this Swiftia, which was seen During Dive 12 of the 2019 Southeastern U.S. Deep-sea Exploration, has eight tentacles on each of its polyps. Octocorals use these tentacles, which surround the polyps’ mouths, to catch food as it flows by in the current.
Octocoral
Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2019 Southeastern U.S. Deep-sea Exploration. Download larger version (jpg, 947 KB).
Like most octocorals, this Swiftia, which was seen During Dive 12 of the 2019 Southeastern U.S. Deep-sea Exploration, has eight tentacles on each of its polyps. Octocorals use these tentacles, which surround the polyps’ mouths, to catch food as it flows by in the current.
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