Colonial cnidarian

Black coral

Order Antipatharia

PacificAtlanticIndianSouthernArctic Found in 4 oceans

All oceans, from tropical waters to cold seas

Depth

From a few meters to about 8,600 m

Size

Colonies from 5 cm to more than 3 m

Diet

Plankton

Zone

The sea floor · 200 – 3,500 m

Key facts

• Its skeleton is black, but its living polyps are often colorful.
• A colony from Hawaii was dated at more than 4,200 years old: one of the oldest known animals.

Verified sources

1. Frontiers in Marine Science 2020 : black corals 2 to 8,600 m
2. Smithsonian Ocean : How old is black coral?
3. Science News : New dating finds oldest coral yet
4. WoRMS, Antipatharia

In the game: To observe

In the same zone

Scavenging amphipodEurythenes gryllus Greenland halibutReinhardtius hippoglossoides Basket starGorgonocephalus arcticus Glacial eelpoutLycodes frigidus Northern shrimpPandalus borealis Arctic giant spongeGeodia hentscheli