Nippled sea fan

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Nippled sea fan (Eunicella papillosa) is a small gorgonian coral in the family Gorgoniidae. It is found only along the southern African coast.

Description:
The fan is short and pale cream to orange in color. It grows upright or in bushy clusters, with irregular branches. The branches are covered on all sides with many small bumps where the polyps extend. It may grow up to 18 cm tall and the branches are about 0.2 to 0.4 cm wide.

Distribution:
This sea fan is found only along the southern African coast, from Lüderitz to Sodwana Bay, at depths of 1 to 360 meters.

Ecology:
It usually grows in areas sheltered from strong currents. It is preyed upon by the whip fan nudibranch, which looks a lot like the feeding fan.