This long stringy bunch is a colony of animals. Each thin strand is a single animal, whose body grows from a stem, which is smaller than a spaghetti noodle. On each tip is the main part of the body, which catches food in little stinging tentacles, shaped like a palm tree. The tentacles capture food which floats by, and brings it into the center, where the mouth is. Nudibranchs feed on these animals, and will use the stinging parts for protection.