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Staghorn Coral © OAR/NURP
Brain Coral © OAR/NURP
Corals
Corals may look like plants, but, they are actually animals. There are different varieties of soft and hard corals. But, the hard corals have nocturnal habits.
Hiding within the bony covering that protects them, corals have stinging cells called nematocysts on their tentacles. They open their tentacles and polyps to capture zooplankton at night when there is more of them.
Hard Coral ©
OAR/NURP