Close-up shot of a tree coral, Dendronephthya sp, showing several branches and neighboring polyps.

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Nephteidae or carnation corals are a family of soft corals covering several hundred species that mainly vary in coloration. As all corals they contain stinging cells (cnidocytes) for defense and capturing prey. They feed on plankton, filtrating the water. Because of their beautiful colors, these corals are the most traded soft corals for aquariums worldwide.

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Size: 5480px × 3622px
Location: Solomon Islands
Photo credit: © Malcolm Ross / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: animalia, aquarium, black, branch, carnation, cnidaria, colony, colorful, coral, corals, diving, indian, nephteidae, ocean, orange, pacific, polyp, red, reef, sea, sessil, soft, stinging, tropical, underwater, warm, white