Sea Whip Grace

Grace Richards

Mrs. Cook Science

October 26, 2015

Sea Whip

Leptogorgia virgulata

                            The Sea Whip, or leptogorgia virgulata, is found in salty waters or estuaries in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean. Its Domain is Eukaryote, its Kingdom is Animalia, its Phylum is Cnidaria, its Class  is Anthozoa,  and its Order is Gorgonacea. The Sea Whip is in the Family Gorgoniidae, the Genus Leptogorgia, and the Species virgulata. Sea Whips have no symmetry, and can be recognized by their long, whip-like yellow, tan, orange, or purple branches. An interesting fact about Sea Whips is that they’re made of tiny organisms called polyps that are suspension feeders. One structural adaptation of Sea Whips is that their polyps have  tiny tentacles to help them feed on plankton. A behavioral adaptation is that the individual  polyps sweep their tentacles through the water, trapping plankton and eating them for energy. A functional adaptation is that Sea Whips’ larvae go through a metamorphosis. Sea Whips are heterotrophic, and almost always eat plankton. Their predators are Sea Snails. Sea Whips are also Ectothermic, which means they are cold blooded.

Sources: www.chesapeakebay.net, www.eol.org

P.S. Sorry, Mrs. Cook! I couldn't find any pictures with just the Sea Whip! It is the yellow whip-like structure behind the blue crab.
Grace