What is coral? What is coral? When you see pictures in National Geographic of huge rock like things in the ocean with fish swimming all around, is that coral? Well, sort of. That is a coral reef. coral reef

Soft Coral Soft coral sway gently back and forth in water. They have 8 tentacles.

Hard Corals A hard coral has 12, 24, 48 or more tentacles. They are as hard as a rock!

Grape Coral, Octopus Coral

Parts of Coral The tentacles are used to catch food. They live close together. So close they share their skeleton.

Quiz Time Hard or Soft?

What is Coral? Corals have two distinct parts: a living component and a skeletal component. Corals are actually animals, though many take on the characteristics of plants, with their flower-like polyps. The polyp is part of the living component of a coral. Each polyp is actually a small animal with a mouth, digestive system, reproductive tract, and a simple nervous system called a nerve net. Most polyps grow in groups called colonies.

Once a year Coral eggsOne a year coral has babies. Pink coral eggs and sperm are released. Once fertilized, they turn into baby coral called planula.

Top of the Reef

Too Rough for the Planula Move on!

Check out the lagoon

Brittle Star

Will this be the home for the planula? Mangrove trees

Will this be the home for the planula?

No Too hot, too shallow

Dying Coral

The brown and bumpy parts of the coral branches are alive and healthy. The white spot on the left branch is infected with the bacteria.

Coral diseases and syndromes generally occur Sea fan with red band disease. (Photo: A. Bruckner)