CoralsBrown Cup Coral
Paracyathus stearnsi
(1: Monterey State Beach, Monterey / 2-8: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)
Fluoresces under blue light: (1-2: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)
Colonial Cup CoralCoenocyathus bowersi
(1-2: Black Rock, Santa Catalina Island / 3: Coral Gardens, San Clemente Island / 4-5: Seal Cove, San Clemente Island / 6: Arch Point, Santa Barbara Island)
Cup Coral
Astrangia lajollaensis
(1-5: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)
Similar to orange cup coral, but yellower.
Fluoresces under blue light: (1-4: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)
OctocoralAlcyonium rudyi
(1: Starlight, Santa Catalina Island / 2-3: Whaler's Cove, Point Lobos)
Orange Cup Coral
Balanophyllia elegans
(1-4,6-8: San Carlos Beach, Monterey / 5: Whaler's Cove, Point Lobos)
These fluoresce under UV light:
(1: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)
This one is unusually yellow:
(1: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)
Yellow ZoanthidEpizoanthus scotinus
(1-3: Ship Rock, Santa Catalina Island)
GorgoniansBrown GorgonianMuricea fruticosa
(1-2: Black Rock, Santa Catalina Island/ 3: Indian Rock, Santa Catalina Island / 4: Ship Rock, Santa Catalina Island)
California Golden Gorgonian(1: Starlight, Santa Catalina Island/ 2-3: Black Rock, Santa Catalina Island / 4: Coral Gardens, San Clemente Island / 5-7: Seal Cove, San Clemente Island / 8: Ship Rock, Santa Catalina Island)
Closeup of polyps: (1: Ship Rock, Santa Catalina Island)
Purple GorgonianEugorgia rubens
(1: Eel Point, San Clemente Island)
Red GorgonianLeptogorgia chilensis
(1: Coral Gardens, San Clemente Island / 2: Sutil Island, Santa Barbara Island / 3-4: Flame Reef, Santa Cruz Island / 5: Arch Point, Santa Barbara Island)
Other Colonial CnidariansWhite Sea Pen
Stylatula elongata
(1-8: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)
If you look very closely at a sea pen, you can see it's made up of a zillion little 8-armed hydras:
(1-7: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)
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