What Is a Coral?
Plant
• Each coral polyp is a home to a single celled marine plant (zooxanthellae), which provides the coral with energy.
• Some strains are resilient to certain coral diseases, making the corals stronger to fight off disease.
Animal
• Classified as a Cnidarian, the individual coral can look similar to a sea anemone
• The tentacles are arranged around their mouths, the only opening in the organism.
• Microbiotic Community
• Living as a bacterial “micro biome” on the surface, this mucous provides a protective immunity layer.
Mineral
• Corals create their own stony exoskeleton, which protects both the animal, as well as the algae that lives inside it.
• It is the collection of these exoskeletons that create coral reefs, which provide an ecosystem for the oceans as well as protects coastline and coastal communities.
