- Norwegian: bløtkoraller
Characteristics:
The eight armed soft corals do not produce calcium carbonate, like the hard corals. Thus, they neither extract calcium from the water nor build coral reefs. They contain small spiny skeletal elements called sclerites. These give the animal some support and make the flesh less attractive among potential predators.
Taxonomy:
Alcyonacea is yeat another order of cnidarians that has been heavily reorganized since the end of the 20th century. The order is currently assigned species that are loosely known as soft corals and sea fans.