What is this thing?

Hi

My mate sent me this photo, and asked "what is this thing".

We see them all over the sandy bottom of our reef systems here in Bermuda, however none of the local guides seem to know what they are. "A type of seaweed" or "an anemone" are the sort of responses we get.

Any ideas?

Better photos from Fickr here

Cheers

Hal

That is a piece of macro-algae - aka a plant - well sorta. It looks similar to gracillaria to me - might help you start your google search.

Cheers

James

Wow that was fast

Red Algae is comercially viable, it makes agar plates. Maybe I should get harvesting this stuff

Cheers

Hal

Note that it is an alga (not algae). Alga is singular, algae is plural.

Note that it is an alga (not algae). Alga is singular, algae is plural.

I knew that an alga was the individual

But is the plant itself not a colony of individuals, so the end product that lives on the seabed is an algae?

Cheers

Hal

Not all algae are colonial, in fact most aren't, especially when talking about red algae. Most red algae are filamentous, foliose or massive. The one pictured is not colonial and on its own would be considered one alga.

OK - Grammar correction accepted

Cheers

Hal