Marine Wildlife Encyclopedia
Slender Sea Pen Virgularia mirabilis
The muddy bottoms of sheltered sea lochs in Scotland and Norway are often carpeted in dense beds of slender sea pens. This species has a structure similar to the orange sea pen but has a much thinner central stalk and thin branches. Almost half the stalk is buried in the sediment and the colony can withdraw into the sediment if disturbed.
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- Class Anthozoa
- Height Up to 24 in (60 cm)
- Depth 33–1,300 ft (10–400 m)
- Habitat Sediment
- Distribution Temperate waters of northeastern Atlantic and Mediterranean
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