Named for their resemblance to old-fashioned quills, sea pens are colonies of polyps that inhabit the ocean floor! All of the polyps work together & each has a role to play. There are feeding polyps to catch plankton and polyps that circulate water to keep the colony ventilated.

American Museum of Natural History
@AMNH #ocean #marinecreatures #polyps

Antarctica’s fragile #plankton ready for research https://www.antarctica.gov.au/news/2024/antarcticas-fragile-jellies-ready-for-research/

"For the first time, a range of fragile and exotic #MarineCreatures, captured in waters off #Antarctica in perfect condition, are being housed in the Australian Antarctic Division’s research #aquarium. The gelatinous organisms include predatory #SeaAngels and #CombJellies that were captured in RSV #Nuyina’s unique ‘wet well’, during a recent voyage to Mawson research station."