Juergen Freund / Chambered nautilus (Nautilus pompilius) with red whip coral. Osprey Reef, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia.

Fred Bavendam / Golden Damselfish (Amblyglyphidodon Aureus) in front of Soft Coral (Ctenocella sp), Figi

Franco Banfi / Red sea whip coral (Ellisella sp) Lighthouse Reef, Cabilao Island, Bohol, Central Visayas, Philippines, Pacific Ocean.

Alex Mustard / Red whip coral (Ctenocella sp.) with a school of fish above. Fiabacet Islands, Misool, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia. Ceram Sea, Tropcial West Pacific Ocean

Georgette Douwma / Gorgonian / Sea whip coral (Ellisella ceratophyta), West Papua, Indonesia.

Georgette Douwma / Gorgonian / Sea whip coral (Ellisella ceratophyta), coral reef, West Papua, Indonesia.

Georgette Douwma / Gorgonian / Sea whip coral (Ellisella ceratophyta), West Papua, Indonesia.

Georgette Douwma / Gorgonian / Sea whip coral (Ellisella ceratophyta), close up, West Papua, Indonesia.

Georgette Douwma / Gorgonian / Sea whip coral (Ellisella ceratophyta) with Ring tailed cardinalfish (Apogon aureus) swimming in front, West Papua, Indonesia.

Linda Pitkin / Sea whips, gorgonian coral (Ellisella sp.) Cape Kri, Dampier Strait, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia, March 2016

Alex Mustard / Seawhip gorgonian (Ctenocella / Ellisella sp) growing in a coral cavern. Ra Province, Viti Levu, Fiji, Polynesia, Pacific Ocean

Pascal Kobeh / Red whip coral (Ellisella cercidia) and a Delicate sea whip (Junceella fragilis) Palau Philippine Sea

Georgette Douwma / Red sea whip coral (Ellisella ceratophyta) Similan Islands, Andaman Sea, Thailand.

Georgette Douwma / Gorgonian (Ellisella sp.) growing on granite boulder. Similan Islands, Andaman Sea, Thailand.

Georgette Douwma / Gorgonian whip coral (Ellisella sp.) Similan Islands, Andaman Sea, Thailand.

Georgette Douwma / Whip corals (Junceella fragilis) with Golden damsels (Amblyglyphidodon aureus) which lay eggs on the whip corals. Similan Islands, Thailand, Andaman Sea.

Georgette Douwma / Delicate sea whips (Junceella fragilis) forest with a Golden damselfish (Amblyglyphidodon aureus) Similan Islands, Andaman Sea, Thailand.

Georgette Douwma / Delicate sea whip (Junceella fragilis) growing on sea bed. Similan Islands, Andaman Sea, Thailand.

Georgette Douwma / Delicate sea whip (Junceella fragilis) growing on sea bed. Similan Islands, Andaman Sea, Thailand.

Georgette Douwma / Red sea whips (Junceella juncea) growing on granite boulder. Similan Islands, Andaman Sea, Thailand.

Juergen Freund / Harlequin ghost pipefish (Solenostomus paradoxus) amongst Red sea whips (Ellisella sp) Kimbe Bay, New Britain, Papua New Guinea.

Pascal Kobeh / Diver near barrel sponge (Xestospongia testudinaria), hard coral (Porites sp) and red whip coral (Ctenocella sp), Walindi, Papua New Guinea, Bismarck Sea.

Alex Mustard / Golden damselfish (Amblyglyphidodon aureus) hiding amongst the branches of red whip coral (Ctenocella sp.) Misool, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia.

Solvin Zankl / Whip coral (Ellisella ceratophyta) on reef, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia, Pacific Ocean.

Solvin Zankl / Whip coral (Ellisella ceratophyta) on reef, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia, Pacific Ocean.

Ingo Arndt / Coral (Verrucella sp), Senckenberg Museum, Frankfurt, Germany

Ingo Arndt / Coral (Heliania spinescens) from New Caledonia, Senckenberg Museum, Frankfurt, Germany

Ingo Arndt / Coral (Verrucella sp) from the Chagos Archipelago, Senckenberg Museum, Frankfurt, Germany

Birgitte Wilms / Cowry (Aclyvolva sp) camouflaged on Soft Coral (Ctenocella sp), Papua New Guinea

Fred Bavendam / Chinese Trumpetfish (Aulostomus chinensis) camouflaged in Soft Coral (Ellisella sp), Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea

Fred Bavendam / Large Whip Goby (Bryaninops amplus) on coral, Australia

Chris Newbert / Soft Coral (Ellisella sp) and Black Coral (Antipathes sp), Indonesia

Chris Newbert / Soft Coral (Ellisella sp), Indonesia

Chris Newbert / Orange Deep Water Fan (Nicella goreaui) detail, Roatan, Honduras

Chris Newbert / Sponge (Diacarnus spinipoculum) and Soft Coral (Ellisella sp) 90 feet deep, Solomon Islands

Chris Newbert / Soft Coral (Ellisella sp) detail, Coral Sea

Chris Newbert / Soft Coral (Ellisella sp) growing on coral reef, Solomon Islands

Fred Bavendam / Feather Star (Oxycomanthus bennetti) clinging to a Harp Gorgonian (Ctenocella pectinata), Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia

Fred Bavendam / Feather Star (Comanthina schlegelii) sitting on Whip Gorgonians (Ellisella sp), Flinders Reef, Coral Sea, Australia

Fred Bavendam / Soft Coral (Ctenocella sp) colony growing amidst large plates of Cabbage Coral (Turbinaria sp), Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea

Fred Bavendam / Two-spot Snapper (Lutjanus biguttatus) on a deep reef with Soft Coral (Ctenocella sp) and Hard Coral Plates, Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea

Fred Bavendam / Soft Coral (Ctenocella sp) colony with Feather Star Crinoids clinging to them, Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea

Fred Bavendam / Soft Coral (Ctenocella sp) colony growing amidst large plates of Cabbage Coral (Turbinaria sp), Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea

Fred Bavendam / Sea Fan (Junceella sp) stand on a deep reef slope at a depth of about 25mm, Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea

Gary Bell/ Oceanwide / Soft Coral (Ellisella sp) polyps, Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Gary Bell/ Oceanwide / Soft Coral (Ellisella sp) polyps, Anilao, Philippines

Gary Bell/ Oceanwide / Soft Coral (Ellisella sp) polyps, Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Gary Bell/ Oceanwide / Soft Coral (Ellisella sp) polyps, Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Alex Mustard / Twotone wrasse (Halichoeres prosopeion) juvenile, swimming in front of a Sea whip (Ellisella sp.), Raja Ampat, West Papua, Ceram Sea, Pacific Ocean.

Alex Mustard / Red sea whip (Ellisella sp.) on a coral reef, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Ceram Sea, Pacific Ocean.

Alex Mustard / Group of red Sea whips (Junceella sp.) growing beneath an overhang on a coral reef, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Ceram Sea, Pacific Ocean.

Alex Mustard / Phillipine chromis (Chromis scotochiloptera) swimming around Sea whip corals (Junceella sp.) and sponges, Tubbataha Atolls, Palawan, Philippines, Sulu Sea.

Alex Mustard / Red sea whip coral (Ellisella sp.) growing on a coral reef, Tubbataha Atolls, Palawan, Philippines, Sulu Sea.

Alex Mustard / Whip goby (Bryaninops amplus) resting on a Sea whip (Ctenocella sp.), Bitung, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, Molucca Sea.

Alex Mustard / Whip coral goby (Bryaninops sp.) hiding in the red branches of a sea whip (Ellisella sp.) on a coral reef. Misool, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia. Ceram Sea. Tropical West Pacific Ocean.

Alex Mustard / A reef scene with an orange elephant ear sponge (Ianthella basta) and red sea whip (Ellisella sp) with schooling silversides fish above. Pelee Island, Misool, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia. Ceram...

Shane Gross / Coral reef scene with red sea whips (Ellisella sp) and a scuba diver in the background. Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea.