Sea Pen
(Pennatulacea)
Pennatulacea
Credit: Anne Hoggett
They looked like a bunch of feathers sticking up from the sandy bottom near Twin Rocks. Some were yellow, others were black with white tips. A submerged garden of strange plants it seemed to a new diver like myself. But were they plants?
Sea Pens can be found in many shapes and colors.
Credit: Albert Kang
On the reef not all is always what it seems - stones turn into stonefish, a sandy patch becomes a cuttlefish, a brightly colored pebble, a nudibranch. I was intrigued. It wasn't until I was topside that I was able to research them and find their name - Sea Pens. I didn't really get it until I remembered the ye olde quill pen from 150 years ago. Cool.
Sources:
Asia Pacific Reef Guide, Helmut DebeliusA Photographic Atlas of Marine Biology, Wiseheart, Rempala, Leboffe
World Atlas of Coral Reefs, Spalding, Ravilious, Green
Animal diversity Web, https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ptilosarcus_gurneyi/
Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/animal/sea-pen
Wild Singapore, http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cnidaria/others/pennatulacea/pennatulacea.htm
Marine Education Society of Australia, http://www.mesa.edu.au/Cnidaria/cnidaria01a.asp
Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_pen
Music Credits:
Day-O, Harry BelafonteDeep Underwater Relaxing Sleep Music in an Underwater Paradise, soothingrelaxation.com
Peaceful Garden - Healing Light Piano for meditation, zen, landscapes
Underwater Ambience, Enevato Elements