The beauty of the underwater world beckons with the unusual forms and exotic colors of the inhabitants and plants. Coral reefs can be compared to a fairy tale filled with delightful treasures and fantastic characters. Often they are compared to a garden filled with bright flowers, but instead of songbirds there are fish that have unusual shapes for the human eye and are decorated with drawings that are rarely seen on land. Corals of bright colors - from bright pink and iridescent aquamarine to deep black - attract with their unusual shapes and resistance to the destructive power of the ocean. Black coral is one of the most fragile and, thanks to the increased interest of man, one of the endangered species. In the scientific world, it is generally accepted that this outlandish beauty adorns the Earth for more than 500 million years.
Coral reef nature
In a detailed examination of the question “what is coral”, you can find information that this term refers to a living organism - a polyp, and the cementing substance to which it emits, which looks like a plant. Polyps belong to the same class as jellyfish - intestinal, feed on plankton and live throughout the oceans. However, they have the ability to build reefs that are grandiose in shape and size only in tropical waters, where the temperature does not drop below 20 ° C. Sea corals lead an immobile life, fixing in one place and isolating their main building material of the external skeleton from sea water during life - calcium carbonate.
Unusual species of coral
What is coral called the “sea fan”? When diving into deep reefs, you can see soft corals that set in motion sea currents. The polyps that form them are built around themselves, not rocky, but flexible skeletons. Sometimes in shape they can form a fan, antennae, resembling snakes or, growing above human growth, whips. At their tips are tentacles, which, when opened, absorb food for all members of a living colony.
Another unusual type of coral is tubular and cupped. It is he who gives the impression of a blooming garden on the seabed. Multi-colored “panicles for dust” form polyps, the number of tentacles of which is a multiple of eight. They have a large number of stinging cells.
Species of Coral Reef
One of the most famous, due to its size and complexity of the structure, a coral reef is located in northeast Australia. It is a barrier species, i.e., it is located at a considerable (sometimes several tens of kilometers) distance from the coast. Between them is a lagoon, usually with great depth. The reefs of the fringing species are often found. They are located directly along the coast in shallow water. In the open space of the ocean, you can find coral reefs of a ring-shaped formation - atolls. They are of volcanic origin and can turn into flowering islands.
Fauna of the coral reef
Organisms living in coral reefs are closely interconnected in their life, form a complex ecosystem. Most of its elements are so dependent on each other that they cannot exist outside their home, just like the coral reef itself. What is coral without oxygen, carbohydrates, continuous purification from waste products? Already not a living organism. This is done by algae that live in one of the layers of polyps.
What is coral for ocean dwellers? Around the reefs, there are more than 1,500 species of fish of various sizes and shapes. A favorable habitat is here for several species of whales. Most species of sea ​​turtles prefer to breed their offspring on coral islands , choosing them as the safest place. Favorable places for feeding and a variety of seabirds were not ignored.