Common Name: Mushroom Soft Coral
Scientific Name: Anthomastus ritteri

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Anthozoa
Order: Alcyonacea
Family: Alcyoniidea
Genus: Anthomastus
Species: A.ritteri

 

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a vast undersea world where everywhere you sea could be fraught with danger? For one animal, it’s just that. “anthomastus ritteri” commonly known as the deep water mushroom soft coral. Learn about his fascinating life.

the anthomastus ritteri can grow up to 6” across. They can be one color or multicolor. They are able to lift themselves back up when overturned do to sea storms. They can also change sexes from male to female and bake again.

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The anthomastus Ritteri lives by staying on rocks and waiting for food to swim by. They are found in the deep sea on rocky surfaces at depths of 700-4050’.the population is shrinking due to deep sea fishing and pollution. There are over 4000 left.

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In the web food chain, they are carnivores. They eat plankton by using tentacles barbed with poisonous stinging cells that capture prey. They compete with sponges, sea stars, other corals, and any other deep-water predators. Predators that would eat this creature is the southern stingray, sunflower star, hermit crabs, pharaoh cuttlefish, and more. Some interesting facts are only adults can move and catsharks sometimes lay their eggs near the stalks.

 

Auther: Juan.E
Published: 2/13/2013

 

Sources: MCZbase.com
Monera bay aquarium
encyclopedia of life.com

 

PHOTO CREDIT: DEEP SEA BIOLOGY WWW.MESA.EDU.AUa