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.

ascidian-beach-1

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.

Compound ascidian