Colonial ascidian
Chordata – Ascidiacea
Distribution:
A colonial ascidian is a colony of animals (or zooids), where it is hard to distinguish separate animals – individual zooids can only be seen clearly with a microscope. They form intricate patterns and come in an assortment of colours. Ascidians are difficult to identify properly without examining the internal structure of the specimen.
Did you know?
Colonial ascidians usually grow as a coating on rocks or reefs, and can be mistaken for an encrusting sponge. The difference is that ascidians have a nervous system and they respond to touch by retracting and closing their siphons.
In This Section
- Chordates – Animals with backbones
- Invertebrates – Animals without backbones
- Abalone
- Acorn barnacle
- Baler shell
- Blue button sea jelly
- Bluebottle
- Bryozoan
- Bubbler crabs and sand balls
- Chiton
- Cone shell
- Coral
- Cowry shell
- Crab
- Cuttlebone
- Goose barnacle
- Hermit crabs
- Horned ghost crab (Manburr)
- Limpet
- Mud crab
- Mussel
- Periwinkle
- Pipi
- Ram’s horn shell
- Razor clam
- Sand dollars
- Scallop
- Sea hare
- Sea hares
- Sea jelly
- Sea star
- Sea urchin
- Silver-lip pearl oyster
- Sponge
- Tube worm
- Turban snail
- Violet snail
- Marine Pests
- Seagrasses and Algae
- Unusual Finds