E-Fauna Photo Gallery

Alcyonidium pedunculatum  (Smooth Leather Bryozoan)

Photo of Alcyonidium pedunculatum by Aaron Baldwin
© Aaron Baldwin (Photo ID #2208)

Photographer's Submitted Details

Photo Location Kruzof Island, Sitka Sound Photographer Aaron Baldwin
Habitat Below 30 meters
Photo Date Upload Date October 25, 2007
Elevation (m)
UTM Zone # Latitude
UTM Easting Longitude
UTM Northing Photo ID # 2208
Notes This unusual animal is a bryozoan. Most bryozoa resemble moss and form encrusting colonies on rocks, shells, kelps, etc. This species forms an upright gelatinous colony that looks very much like a strange brown algae (kelps and relatives). The first specimen we encountered stumped all of us at our lab in Sitka, so we sent the specimen to Sandra Lindstrom (at UBC) who identified it not as an algae but as an animal! Specimen collected by Bob Reid. Photo taken with Pentax Optio W10 underwater camer


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