
Green sea mat
September 29, 2022
Science name: Zoanthus sociatus Ellis. Grows in dense, connected, mat-like colonies of greenish or bluish polyps with short, blunt tentacles. They are usually found attached to rocks just below the low-tide mark and are easy to observe in the shallow water of the reef flat. Zoanthids have symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) that supply food and oxygen and give them their beautiful colour. They also feed by capturing plankton with their tentacles.