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Atlantic Rough Sea Squirt (Styela partita) These small tunicates have rough, wrinkled skin that may be yellow or orangish in color. They grow up to 1 1/4"(3 cm) tall and attach themselves to pilings, boats, eelgrass, fishing nets and other surfaces. Sea squirts are filter feeders, taking water into their siphons and trapping planktonic organisms in the mouth. In general, sea squirts can be found in three forms, as solitary animals, a loose colony, or a gelatinous mass; these sea squirts are most often solitary. They are native to Narragansett Bay and are present in the Bay all year. |