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What is Fan Coral?

Mary McMahon
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Updated: Jun 04, 2024
Views: 17,122
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Fan coral is a type of coral which develops a highly branched flexible skeleton which often comes to closely resemble a fan, albeit a rather inefficient one. These corals belong to the order Gorgonacea, named for the mythical Gorgon, a figure in Greek mythology closely associated with snakes. Fan corals can resemble tangled clusters of snakes in some cases, which explains the scientific name.

You may hear fan coral referred to as a sea fan or a gorgonian, in a reference to its biological order. As is the case with other corals, a sea fan isn't a single organism. It is, in fact, a colony of organisms known as polyps which band together and develop a supportive skeleton. In the case of sea fans, the polyps use bromine, iodine, and tyrosine to create a flexible substance known as gorgonin. The surface of the coral tends to be rough and slightly horny, and it is resilient in addition to flexible, ensuring that sea fans can withstand heavy currents.

The color of this coral varies, depending on the species and whether or not symbiotic algae are living inside the sea fan. Colors typically range from yellow to red, with the polyps located along the branching arms of the fan. The polyps have eight tentacles which they use to filter free-floating organisms from the water to eat. They may also feed on the symbiotic algae, if it is present. Because fan coral cannot actively hunt its prey, it requires strong currents to provide enough nutrition.

Fan coral is primarily nocturnal, with the polyps pulling their tentacles in during the day to protect themselves from predators and the potential for sun burn. These corals reproduce by mass-spawning eggs and sperm, which fuse in the water to become gametes. The gametes free-float until they find an area of sand or mud to settle in.

There are over 500 species of fan coral, most of which are found in the Atlantic. These corals can live to be hundreds of years old, and they are very slow growing. This type of coral is also extremely vulnerable to human interference, as careless divers can break off arms, destroying decades of growth, and trawlers routinely rip out the coral as they dredge the bottom of the ocean for fish. Fan corals are also vulnerable to deliberate harvest for commercial profit, and to nutrient runoff, which can trigger algae blooms which cloud the water, making it difficult for fan coral to live.

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Mary McMahon
By Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a All Things Nature researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Discussion Comments
By anon110704 — On Sep 13, 2010

I also noticed that corals do not die as they grow, which is what most books on the subject teach. They just keep on dividing and then the colony grows in size but the coral stays alive. Thus the colony still contains the same DNA as the original polyp that was spawned perhaps thousands of years ago.

I don't know why some scientists say that corals die and new ones "move into" their empty skeletons. Once the coral dies the remaining skeleton grows over with algae. Granted, new spawned corals can still settle on it but it may be a different species altogether.

By Georgesplane — On Jun 14, 2010

Fan corals are mainly filter feeders; this especially being true for deep water varieties that are devoid of zooxanthellae. They can be found in waters as deep as 6000 feet, and they can grow to the size of a small tree. Deep water gorgonians are suspension feeders that feed on the marine snow dragged across their fronds by deep water currents. The article states that corals can be hundreds of years old, but the truth is they can they can date back thousands of years. Some deep water corals have actually been dated to precede recorded history.

By anon78847 — On Apr 20, 2010

very interesting and informative.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a...

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