Neptune's lace is one of the most easily identifiable species of bryozoans in the Mediterranean sea due to its distinctive shape !

Just a fraction of an inch for a zooid, the scientific name for an individual, which when grouped together, they form colonies that can reach several inches, or even up to four inches in diameter. These colonies take the shape of a flower with delicate, lace-like petals perforated with a multitude of tiny holes that gently ripple around its center, hence the name. A true masterpiece of craftsmanship under the sea !

Neptune's lace has a rigid, calcified structure that rises above the substrate, with a color that ranges from yellow to salmon pink.

Neptune's lace is a species of bryozoan that is widely distributed in the Mediterranean Sea and more occasionally along the coasts of the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

Neptune's lace lives in colonies sheltered from light along the walls of cliffs and rocky overhangs exposed to shadow, or inside small crevices and caves. Neptune's lace occasionally grows around the stems of plants like Posidonia, which provides an ideal support for it to spread its petals and effectively filter seawater.

Neptune's lace is found at depths of up to about 130 feet in areas protected from currents due to its extreme fragility.

Like all bryozoans, Neptune's lace feeds by filtering seawater through its crown of tentacles, known as the lophophore.

Neptune's lace exhibits both asexual and sexual reproduction. Asexually, the colony grows in size and number of individuals through budding at its ends, though sometimes a new individual is released to start a new colony. Sexually, the hermaphroditic individuals within the colony fertilize each other, producing larvae that, once released, will form new colonies.

As with everything underwater, admire with your eyes the result of the meticulous work done by these tiny marine animals known as bryozoans, but be careful not to touch Neptune's lace, as its delicate calcified structure is very fragile !