Coral Polyp Anatomy Corals, often mistaken for plants due to their flower-like appearance, are animals that generally exist in the form of colonies. These colonies attach to oceanic substrate …

Polyps up close Most corals are made up of hundreds of thousands individual polyps like this one. Many stony coral polyps range in size from one to three millimeters in diameter. Most coral …

Corals can reproduce asexually and sexually. In asexual reproduction, new clonal polyps bud off from parent polyps to expand or begin new colonies. This occurs when the parent polyp …

The Coral Tutorial is an overview of the biology of and threats to coral reefs. The tutorial is content rich and presented in easy-to Most corals are made up of hundreds to hundreds of thousands …

Coral Basics Coral polyps extend their tentacles for feeding. (Photo: G.P. Schmahl/FGBNMS) Hard corals are the building blocks of coral reefs, and the mainstay of the coral cap at Flower …

Coral polyps, which are animals, and zooxanthellae, the specialized cells that live within them, have a mutualistic relationship. This means there is a positive relationship between two things …

Microscopic Anatomy The fundamental structure of a coral polyp is a cylindrical sac lined composed of two layers of epithelia: the surface body wall, which forms the outermost barrier …

Gross anatomy of a scleractinian polyp from an imperforate coral (Fig. 1a) Colonial scleractinian corals are composed of numerous interconnected polyps. The coenenchyme is the tissue …

What Makes a Coral ReefWhat Makes a Coral Reef? This infographic describes the anatomy of a coral polyp and how polyps form reef structures. This infographic was made in collaboration …

Coral FactsCoral Facts What is a coral? (Coral: Plant, Animal, or Mineral?) Structure of a typical coral polyp. Corals are animals, even though they may exhibit some of the characteristics of …