Corals
Corals
are
tiny
animals.
There
are
thousands
of
species
of
corals.
Some
corals
are
soft.
Others
are
hard.
Some
corals
live
alone.
Others
form
coral
reefs.
A
single
coral
is
called
a
polyp.
It
has
a
tube-shaped
body.
Its
bottom
end
attaches
the
coral
to
a
hard
surface.
Soft
corals
stick
to
the
ocean
floor.
Hard
corals
stick
to
other
corals.
Corals
live
in
oceans
all
over
the
world.
Some
live
in
shallow
water.
Some
live
in
deep
water.
Most
corals
live
close
to
the
water’s
surface.
This
puts
them
closer
to
the
sun.
Corals
eat
plankton.
They
reach
their
tentacles
out
into
the
water
to
catch
food.
Corals
eat
mostly
at
night.
Some
corals
grow
buds.
Other
corals
release
eggs.
The
buds
and
eggs
become
new
polyps.
When
hard
corals
die,
more
corals
grow
on
top
of
them.
This
builds
the
reef.
Zoom In
-
Coral Classification: Anthozoan
Diet: Carnivore
Endangered Status: Some species are Least Concern. Others are Endangered or Critically Endangered. -
Smallest Length A stony coral polyp is smaller than a penny. -
Longest Length A mushroom coral polyp is longer than a baseball.
Play & Learn
