The Devil’s Hand Coral (Lobophytum sp.) is a marine (saltwater) soft coral in the Alcyoniidae family of soft corals. It is also known as Devil’s Hand Leather Coral. It is not a plant.
The Devil’s Hand Coral is beige-brown. It looks like an open hand with its fingers pointing upwards. It is stiff, hard, and inflexible. It is made up of tiny polyps projecting from its leathery surface.
It grows to several feet high and across, but only a few inches thick.
It is found in the tropical and temperate waters of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. It prefers shallow lagoons in reefs.
It lives in a colony of many ‘hands.’
Location of photographs: Aquarium de Paris-Cinéaqua, France
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM