Coral: What is it?

Corals are animals. They are alive. Corals are made up of tiny animals called polyps. Hundreds, even thousands, of polyps can make up a coral. Over time, each polyp not only builds its own skeleton, but adds to the structure to the reef. What gives corals the energy for all this building? A partnership with symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae. They use energy from the sun to photosynthesize, providing up to 95% of the food the corals need. In turn, the corals release nutrients valuable to the algae give them a safe place to live.

To learn more, check out our online coral reef ecology curriculum: http://www.lof.org/education/portal/