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Animals That Look Like Plants

The Earth's oceans are full of interesting and unusual species. The Antarctic region has been home to new discoveries over the last 20 years. The Eastern Weddell Sea and Atka Bay are the discovery sites of six new species. What scientists first thought of as new plant species were, in fact, animals. It is unusual for this type of animal species, called gorgonians, sea whips or sea fans, to be found in the cold region of the Antarctic when previously thought to exist mainly in the tropics.

Gorgonians
- Discovery of two new animal species occurred in the Eastern Weddell Sea of the Antarctic region. Tauroprimnoa Austasensis and Digitogorgia Kuekenthali are the names given to the two new sea animals. Similar to the sea pen, they are tiny polyps that form colonies. Colonies are usually erect, flattened, branching and resemble a fan while others grow whip-like or bushy. Colonies grow to be several feet high and across but do not exceed a few inches thick. Bright colors adorn these two new species.
  
  Thouarella Bayeri, Thouarell Sardana, Thouarella Undulata and Thouarella Andeep are four new species of animal discovered in the Antarctic region of Atka Bay, near the South Georgia Islands. Colony pattern, polyp layout, shape and ornamentation of the scales provide noticeable differences among these four animals.
Coral
- The most important thing that makes an animal an animal is its dependence on outside sources for food, whereas plants make their own food. Some sea animals eat food sources in addition to creating their own food. Coral looks like a plant but is classified as an animal because it eats plankton. It also hosts algae inside its tissues. Algae produce food for the coral with energy from the sun, carbon dioxide and water. This process allows coral to survive in nutrient-poor environments.
Sea Anemones
- Sea anemones, cousins to coral, are stationary predators with stinging tentacles. Often referred to as sea flowers, their adhesive bodies attach to rocks where they wait for food to pass by. The slightest touch triggers their poisonous tentacles into action, instantly paralyzing their prey. More than 1,000 anemone species live in ocean waters around the globe. Each species varies to another in color, shape and size, ranging from half an inch to over 6 feet across. Cousins to coral because of their alliance with algae, sea anemones provide safe harbor for green algae in exchange for oxygen and sugar; byproducts of algae photosynthesis.
Sea Pen
- Over 300 species of sea pen occur in various depth of water from the polar seas to the tropics. Sea pens resemble small bushy plants and feathers of various shapes and colors. They stand erect with a mouth and tentacles at the top. Colonies of polyps branch out from the sides of the pen's central stalk, creating its featherlike or bushlike appearance. Stands of this soft coral provide shelter for small, young fish.

Animals & Science