These organisms are what give corals their colors, which is dependent upon where they are living. The shape and appearance of each coral are dependent upon its species type, location, depth, water movement, and many other factors. Hard coral polyps are very similar to sea anemones, as they also have stinging cells called cnidocytes. As mentioned earlier, hard corals build coral reefs. A coral reef begins when the coral polyp attaches itself to a rock on the seafloor. This one coral polyp then begins to divide or bud into thousands and thousands of clones of itself.
Polyps and their calcareous skeletons connect to one another which creates a colony that will act as one. As this colony grows over hundreds and thousands of years it will join with other colonies and become a reef. Read more in our chapter on coral reef formation. Soft corals often resemble plants and trees. They are soft and bendable so they do not have stony skeletons like hard coral.
Fox Corals, also known as Jasmine coral or Nemenzophyllia, are one of the most attractive coral reef species. Although they are not classed as a species under threat, the Fox Coral is still relatively rare in the wild and usually reside in coral reefs around the Indo-West Pacific from the Philippines to Papua New Guinea. You will find Fox Corals living on sheltered coral reefs and underneath rocky overhangs for protection.
Although this coral reef species is classed as a soft coral, they have a hard skeleton which houses each individual soft tube. Express your love for corals with our exquisite coral jewelry collection. Read our guide " How to help protect coral reefs " for more ways to contribute to coral conservation.
Accessories All Accessories. Beach Anklets. Ocean Pins. Gifts All Gifts. Gifts for Her. Gifts for Him. What are the three main types of coral reefs? The three main types of coral reefs are fringing, barrier, and atoll. Search Our Facts. Despite the slow-growing characteristic of the colony, this coral can reach a massive size after hundreds of years.
Branching corals These are characterized as corals having numerous branches, usually with secondary branches coming out of them. The colour varies, and may be pinkish-brown or greenish.
Staghorn corals or Acropora are among the fastest growing branching corals on the reef, and colonies can be upto 2 meters tall.
However, they are particularly vulnerable to the increase of ocean temperature that cause bleaching and death of the coral, and typically take a long time to recover. Hood corals or Stylophora are another type of branching coral.
They form small bushes with finger-like branches, and are found sparsely along our reef. Flowerpot corals These corals get this name because of their similar appearance to flowers when the polyps are open. Unlike most of the hard corals, the flowerpot corals extend polyps outward from the skeleton, day and night. They are usually brown, yellow or green in colour. Flowerpot corals, despite their delicate names, are generally aggressive animals.
They can use the elongated polyps to cause severe tissue damage on a coral within their reach. Therefore, it is unusual to see other coral species growing close to the flowerpot coral.
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