Coral

Have you ever wondered what was half animal half rock that lies in waters around the equator? The name of it is Coral and on this web page you will learn about different types of coral, what it is made of, and what lives in it . So if you want to learn about coral scroll down.

There are many, many types of coral. One kind is the plate coral. It has a shape of a dinner plate and uneven edges. The plate coral is green-blue. Another type of coral is the cave coral. It looks like a branch on a tree only it is usually pink, yellow, or orange. Coral reefs are usually very colorful.

Coral is found in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Bahamas, and mostly anywhere you would find parrotfish because parrotfish live in coral. In case you didn’t know, coral is alive itself. It is a mixture of rock, plant, and animal. If you have ever seen a rock garden, you probably are saying that coral looks like a rock garden. A coral reef is a very beautiful place.

Coral is made up of things called coral polyps. They are the size of your fingernail. Parrotfish and crown-of-thorns starfish eat coral. The largest danger to coral is humans. Ship anchors, swimmers, and submarines all harm coral. Here’s the good thing. When a coral polyp dies, another coral polyp builds its cup house on top of the old one. Coral is a very wonderful thing.

I have seen pictures, movies, and read books about coral. Just recently, I went to a fish store. I saw 2 tanks full of colorful little coral. I also saw larger coral, but it was not very colorful. In all wild coral reefs, they all look colorful to me. Do you think so, too? I’ve never been diving, but anywhere coral still is mysterious, yet beautiful.

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