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This website is about a special relationship. It is a relationship between an animal called an ovulid, a close relation of the cowries, and its host, a sea fan, sea whip, soft coral or, in some cases, a black coral.

We have three main aims:

First, we hope to show you how to identify living ovulids you encounter while diving or see in your photographs.

Second, we provide a guide to the identification of live octocorals by their external features. The main host octocorals are the sea fans, sea whips, leather corals and soft corals.

Third, we hope to amaze you with the beauty and intricacy of this relationship.