Whip Coral
Leptogorgia virgulata
Whip coral varies in color from yellow, tan or orange to deep purple. (North Carolina State Parks)
Whip coral is an invertebrate with long, whip-like branches covered in tiny polyps. It lives on rocks, reefs and other hard surfaces throughout the lower Chesapeake Bay.
Appearance:
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Long, slender, whip-like branches
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Varies in color from yellow, tan or orange to deep purple
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Branches are covered with coral polyps, which look like tiny, white dots against the coral’s skeleton
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Can grow to 3 feet tall
Habitat:
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Grows on rocks, reefs, pilings, bulkheads and other hard surfaces from the low-tide line to deep waters
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Provides important habitat for fish such as black sea bass
Range:
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Found in the salty waters of the lower Chesapeake Bay
Feeding:
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Suspension feeder
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Each polyp has eight feathery, saw-toothed tentacles that periodically emerge to sweep plankton and other tiny particles into the coral’s body
Reproduction and Life Cycle:
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Unlike other corals, whip coral reproduces sexually by external fertilization
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After hatching, free-swimming larvae float in the water for 3-20 days
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Larvae eventually settle to the bottom and search for a hard surface to attach themselves to
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After attaching, larvae morph into a form that more closely resembles adults
Other Facts:
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Also known as the sea whip
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Jean-Baptiste Lamarck first described whip coral in 1815 and gave the coral its scientific name
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Related to hydroids and anemones
Sources and Additional Information:
