Phylum: Cnidaria

Class: Anthozoa

Subclass: Octocorallia

Order: Pennatulacea

 

Norwegian: sjøfjær

(Korsvika - The Trondheim Fjord / 18 meters / 1.19.2004)

The sea pens -Pennatulacea is one of four orders of the Octorallia class, identified by the eight tentacles. The two other orders represented here are the sea fans and the soft corals.

Preferred habitat among sea pens is muddy substrate in sheltered fjords. They live on all depths from 15-20 meters and down. There are registrations as deep as 2600 meters. There are three sorts of sea pens along the Norwegian coast. In contrast to most other corals, the sea pens are capable of moving the stem. Can you imagine? Hundreds of small animals cooperate to move the stem together. It would probably be difficult to get a hundred people to cooperate that well.