Help identify this! Can’t even describe it…

hanmann · May 20, 2024

Please can someone help me identify what on earth this thing is living inside this small hole in my live rock?!

Thought it was some trapped shedding at first but then it moved!

The two ‘arm’ type things which are visible - one reaching to the side, the other reaching straight at the camera - have polyp looking things on the end of them.

I often see it twitch or retract slightly.

ScottJ · May 20, 2024

Welcome! Is that some kind of pincer on the end? No idea what it could be! Do you have any rock from the ocean, or could anything have hitchhiked in? Some kind of worm?

Doctorgori · May 20, 2024

no clue, a lil fuzzy
and welcome

hanmann · May 20, 2024

ScottJ said:
Welcome! Is that some kind of pincer on the end? No idea what it could be! Do you have any rock from the ocean, or could anything have hitchhiked in? Some kind of worm?

The best way I can describe the ends are similar to my green polyp toadstool coral rather than crabby pincers I think. They seem to close up in the same way the polyps do too. Really odd!

All my rock was live rock so had a bunch of hitchhikers in. But I’ve always been able to google what the others are. Problem with it being stuck in the rock is I can’t even tell the full shape of it.

ISpeakForTheSeas · May 20, 2024

hanmann said:
The best way I can describe the ends are similar to my green polyp toadstool coral rather than crabby pincers I think. They seem to close up in the same way the polyps do too. Really odd!

All my rock was live rock so had a bunch of hitchhikers in. But I’ve always been able to google what the others are. Problem with it being stuck in the rock is I can’t even tell the full shape of it.

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

That looks like it might be a solitary tunicate of some variety to me - harmless filter feeder if so.