Help me identify this?

[Kyle0692]

Hi all,

I tried following the link to the critter ID subforum with no luck (page error) and needed a hand ID’ing something I saw today down in Jupiter that interested me.

To me, it looked like a pair of small Christmas trees blue/white that has grown on top of a small coral growth in about 70 feet of water. As I got closer for a photo, the pair of “trees” retracted.

Looking online there are Christmas tree worms and also coral. The worms look similar, but I didn’t see an obvious worm body when the trees retracted.

I have attached a photo of what I saw.

Your help is appreciated!

Kyle

 

[Lostdiver71]

They are Christmas Tree Worms, they create a tube and embed themselves into the coral and retract when disturbed. What you saw and show in the photo are the breathing and feeding structures that the worm extends outside of the tube. These occur in different varieties pretty much worldwide in tropical oceans.

 

[Kyle0692]

Thank you for this!