#hydrozoa

Lepidopora

A genus of coral-like hydrozoans from the Atlantic Ocean.

victoria’s crystal jelly, aequorea victoria

Porpita porpita

I went to Da Nang, Vietnam last month and this was all over the beach's shores. It's a blue button, and no it's not a jellyfish. It's a colony of hydroids (or Hydrozoan Polyps), more closely related to the Portuguese Man o War, but less "savage," haha. I came out the water unscathed.

Filellum bouvetensis

A colonial hydroid from Bouvet Island near Antarctica.

Coquina Hydroid Lovenella gracilis

They are colonial animals that form erect colonies, on hard surfaces using a hydrorhiza, stem-like structure. They have a symbiotic relationship with Donax clams. The clam provides a substrate for the L. gracilis to attach to while the hydroid protects the clam from predators using its nematocysts. Found in the western Atlantic Ocean.

this colony claims to have invented pumpkins but I mean really? couldn't they have thought of something more believable to lie about? I mean who even lies about something like that????

there's no way anyone's falling for that, and if someone were to actually fall for it I think they should be deeply ashamed of themselves

......spookiness rating: 23% so stupid

photographed by terence zahner (zahnerphoto (CC BY-NC 4.0)