Hawaii --requesting identification help

[Ursula Keuper-Bennett]

Hello Coral Researchers,

The other day we videotaped a Hawaiian turtle having a tastie.  It rifled through coral, snapped off pieces, fussed and flapped and finally plucked out its "reward".  Only we've never seen anything like it.

We're hoping a Hawaiian reef researcher may have come across this and knows what this is.  Here is a video freezeframe of the "food" in its entirety just before it was swallowed.

http://www.turtles.org/special/keokieat2.jpg

And.  This is a better quality closeup.  Rubbery, cream coloured to light gray with a harder darker almost black coating.  Grows in crevices on corals.  

Looks like the kind of thing--if it showed up on your lungs in an Xray you'd be finalizing your will.

http://www.turtles.org/special/keokieat3.jpg

Thanks in advance.
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              ^               Ursula Keuper-Bennett
             0 0              mailto: howzit at turtles.org
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