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One of the most common and conspicuous tunicates on Indonesian reefs is the beautiful white, purple and yellow Polycarpa aurata. These creatures are about the size of a man's thumb, and have a tough leathery outer coating, or tunic. Polycarpa is a solitary and very distinctive animal and easy to identify underwater. But many tunicates are colonial, and can easily be mistaken for sponges. If the siphons of a sea-squirt are touched (gently so as not to harm the animal) they will squeeze shut. Sponges do not react to touch. If a tunicate is lifted out of the sea this same contraction will cause water to be squirted out of its siphon—hence the common name sea squirt.


A cluster of tunicates, Rhopalaea crassa. Water enters through the uppermost opening, is filtered of plankton and nutrients, and then passed out the lower opening. Bunaken group, Sulawesi.


The blue ribbon eel, Rhinomuraena quaesita, is one of the most attractive moray eels. Young eels are black, and don't turn electric blue until they reach a bit over a half-meter in length. Bunaken group, Sulawesi.

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