help with ID

[zealofheretic]

I know this is a little off topic as I'm reasonably sure these aren't shells, but I've been struggling to identify these for quite a while. I found these on the beach in Chennai, India, and have no idea what they could be.

[paul monfils]

These are corals, not the colonial corals that build reefs, but a type that grows as individual isolated polyps. They often grow in groups, but not attached to one another. It is pretty difficult to find information about these online. I have tried in the past. What I just said is just about all I know about them. They are sometimes sold by shellcraft companies. They "may" belong to a group called trumpet corals, not certain.