''Polycarpa aurata '', also known as the ox heart ascidian, the gold-mouth sea squirt or the ink-spot sea squirt, is a species of tunicate in the family Styelidae.
Similar species: Stolidobranchia
By Patomarazul
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Uploaded Jul 28, 2018. Captured May 15, 2018 06:18 in Unnamed Road, Kota Bitung, Sulawesi Utara, Indonesia.
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"These tunicates have created a colorful, ocean garden! The Ox Heart Ascidian (Polycarpa aurata) is a purple and orange tunicate that occurs from the eastern Indian Ocean to the western Pacific. Tunicates may not look it, but they are actually animals - chordates, in fact! They have this classification because their larval phase, which looks like a tadpole, has a notochord. The larvae undergo extensive metamorphosis as they mature and the adults clearly look nothing like tadpoles! The hollow, urn-shaped body of adult tunicates makes them look more like an internal organ than an animal! They attach to hard surfaces where they feed by drawing water into their upper siphon, filtering out plankton and other bits, and then expelling the water through their lower siphon.
Being filter feeders may make them seem simplistic, but this assumption would be completely inaccurate. Inside their bodies, ascidians have a heart, nervous system, digestive tract, muscles, and reproductive organs. And, their bodies are covered with a complex skin, called a tunic. The tunic is generally thick and tough, yet flexible enough to expand and contract. So, these unusual animals are not only a beautiful component of the ocean landscape, but they are also remarkably complex in their design! {Spotted in Indonesia by JungleDragon moderator, Patomarazul} #JungleDragon" Posted 6 years ago