Soft coral. Close-up of the polyps (red) and spicules (white) of a Dendronephthya sp. soft coral. Each polyp is a single organism,which filters plankton from the water using its tentacles. The polyps form a colony for protection and support. Unlike the hard corals,soft corals such as this do not secrete a rocky calcareous substance,instead forming their colony from a matrix of spicules (crystalline needles) embedded in the coral tissues. Photographed in the Egyptian Red Sea | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library / Douwma, Georgette |
Taille de l’image : | 3439 px × 5120 px |
Model Release : | Non requis |
Property Release : | Non requis |
Restrictions : | - |