White sea fan
Eunicella singularis
- Scientific name
- Eunicella singularis
- Group
- Cnidarians (corals, anemones, jellyfish)
- Rarity
- Common
- Where to see it
- Mediterranean
- Conservation status (IUCN)
- Vulnerable
Did you know?
Unlike most Mediterranean sea fans, the white sea fan hosts symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) that give it its pale, faintly greenish color. It lives in shallow, well-lit waters, which makes it especially vulnerable to marine heatwaves.
What defines this group — Cnidarians (corals, anemones, jellyfish)
Corals, anemones and jellyfish: the same simple animal, anchored to the bottom or drifting in open water.
- All armed with cnidocytes, harpoon cells that fire on contact.
- A body arranged in rays around a single opening, serving as both mouth and exit.
- Hard corals host algae in their tissue: it is their departure that causes bleaching.