Coral

Coral is a small marine animal that is very closely related to the sea anemone.  They are characterized by a skeleton or calcareous material.  The skeleton is called coral too.  Coral forms colonies by budding.  Coral grows in both cold and warm climates.  They can be found in warm, shallow water.  There are over 200 species of coral found in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia.  

There are two types of coral.  The coral which is hard, has an internal, rock-like, chalky skeleton that remains when they die.  Soft coral do not have a hard skeleton. 

The Coral life cycle begins as a polyp.  A polyp is a tiny free-living larva.  It’s only the size of a pin head.  They settle on a hard support and will never move again.  Coral reproduces by budding.  The animals that eat the coral are:  the crown-of-thorns, parrotfish, and other animals.