Coralline

COLLECTION

This fragile Coralline was photographed at a depth of approximately 6 meters in the cavity of a small islet located in the Freu sea, between the idyllic village of Sant Elm and the beautiful island of Dragonera.

It is known colloquially as false coral, since initially we can confuse it with the Red Coral. However, it is a deep orange bryozoan with a bush-like shape and truncated ends. Its polyps, instead of white, are the same color as its skeleton.

It can be found in the Mediterranean and also in areas of the Atlantic, on poorly lit rocky bottoms, as well as in caves and grottos.

Probably, it has been more protected from the extractive industry, since, unlike the endangered Red Coral, its color does not last out of the water… That is, when we pull this species out of its habitat, it loses that beautiful reddish orange color that characterizes it.