Imagine the magnificent colours and shapes of a coral reef full of aquatic life when you picture the ocean. Coral is stunning in and of itself, but there is much more to it than meets the eye. Find out what makes coral unique and why it is so important to protect it for the sake of our oceans and the planet. The first and the foremost thing, that you should know about the corals is that, corals are animals. Despite their branch-like appearance and hard calcium carbonate skeletons that some corals construct around their soft bodies, corals are actually animals! With plant-like cells living inside the corals, the coral is a creature. Little coral polyps, each with a mouth and a stomach, develop and separation to frame huge provinces that are the structure blocks of coral reefs.

Protection from UV Rays –

A new coral or Acropora corals is a slow-growing organism that begins as a single polyp and can spread out over hundreds or thousands of years to form colonies the size of a vehicle or a home. Reef-building corals are cousins of creatures like jellyfish and ocean anemones, characterized together as “Cnidarians.” Spacecraft can observe coral reefs, which are some of the world’s largest living structures. Besides that, corals can change their colour into fluorescent. Some corals can naturally produce fluorescent pigments that can appear as a wide variety of colours. Coral may be protected from ultraviolet and high-light radiation by the fluorescent molecules, it is thought.

On Surviving of Corals –

Corals are indicator species, which means that they are extremely sensitive to changes in their ecosystem’s environment. Coral colonies have been observed to survive for hundreds or thousands of years in ideal environmental conditions. Researchers think they could live forever in ideal conditions! Plankton and small fish are eaten by corals. Each coral polyp’s tentacles contain stinging cells that act as harpoons to spear plankton, which are floating organisms. Corals, like jellyfish, have stinging cells that help them catch, weaken, and consume their fish and plankton prey. Algae and coral cells also have a symbiotic relationship, or relationship that benefits both parties. The tiny algae, which live inside the coral’s cells and use sunlight to produce food for the coral, serve as an additional source of energy.

Corals in All Forms –

Corals come in a wide range of colours, sizes, and shapes, and there are hundreds of different species. Mound and boulder corals form enormous, oblong mounds on the sea floor, giving them their name. The shape of brain corals is shaped like a maze, giving them the appearance of a human brain. Corals with branches can either form a flat top like a table or grow up and out like tree branches. Sea fans are a type of soft coral without a hard exoskeleton. They have huge, flat fans that gently move in sync with the current in the water. Sea pens and sea whips resemble trees and can create the illusion of an underwater forest. Colonies of pillar corals can have the appearance of a city skyline because they grow in tall columns.

Movements By Corals –

Corals can move despite their attachment to the ocean floor as adults, larval, or baby, corals can swim. Both sperm and eggs are released into the water by corals when they reproduce. The fertilization of the eggs and sperm results in the development of tiny, swimming coral larvae. The young can move with the currents in the ocean, so when they find a new home, they will swim down to the bottom, attach themselves to the surface, and develop into a new coral colony.