Gorgonian sea fan

Subergorgia mollis

Sighting evidence at Kendwa Reef, Zanzibar Island

Photo: Itai Grisaru · CC BY-NC

The sea fans at Kendwa's outer wall are among the largest in Zanzibar, some individual colonies exceeding 2 metres in width and representing 50 to 100 years of growth. They orient precisely perpendicular to the current to maximise prey interception, each polyp extending tiny tentacles to capture passing zooplankton. Sea fans are nursery habitat for pygmy seahorses, longnose hawkfish and numerous crab species that shelter in the branches — careful examination of a large fan can reveal dozens of commensals invisible to a passing diver.

Evidence at this site

0 records within 25 km

Confidence: low

No date on file

How is this calculated?

Sighting evidence is compiled from iNaturalist observation records within a set proximity radius, filtered for quality-grade observations. “Last confirmed” is the date of the most recent research-grade record. Record count covers a rolling 24-month window. Confidence reflects record count, recency, and consistency of seasonal signal.

Gorgonian sea fan

Evidence at this site

Also seen at other sites