What are corals?  

Corals are animals. What? Yes, they are animals.

Corals are made up of thousands of tiny “animals” called coral polyps, which are living things. These polyps secrete calcium carbonate, which is the main component of the skeleton of hard corals.

The term “corals” and “coral reefs” are often used interchangeably; however, they mean different things. Corals, divided into hard coral and soft corals, can grow into many different shapes or forms, and have many different colours. Corals live in colonies, forming huge underwater ecosystems known as coral reefs.

Coral reefs are sometimes called “Rainforests of the Sea”, referring to the diversity of this ecosystem, which not only boasts hundreds of species of corals, but also other marine life such as algae, sponges and fish. Coral reefs are predominantly found in tropical and subtropical waters. They need warm, clear and clean seawater to live.  

How do corals grow?  

Believe it or not, corals are able to feed: coral polyps use their tentacles to catch tiny, microscopic food by night. During the day, corals conduct photosynthesis with the help of zooxanthella, a type of algae that live in them.