To date, 5, 000 species of coral are known. They resemble something like a tree, shrub, carpet, ball, etc. Coral jewelry is popular. This is due to the fact that they are very similar to precious stones. But most people don’t even know what corals are. Is it an animal or a plant? We will answer this question in this article.
Coral is an animal or plant.
With the naked eye it is very difficult to understand what kind of organisms these are. There are several reasons for this. But it’s worth mentioning right away that coral is an animal, not a plant. They have a skeleton that can be felt only if you feel it. You must have heard of coral reefs. So, they consist of millions of dead organisms, which after death harden like a stone. If you look in more detail, then coral is a huge number of tiny organisms that together form a coral polyp. The structure of the polyp is quite simple. It consists of a cylindrical body with tentacles. Between the latter there is a mouth opening.
Coral sizes and something else
Polyps are quite tiny, their sizes usually do not exceed a few centimeters. As for the colony that these creatures form, this is a completely different matter. For example, polyps of madrepore coral can reach 40-50 cm in diameter. Separate individuals are interconnected through a coenosarc. As a result, a single organism is formed. All individuals procure food together. Larger particles catch, small ones participate in reproduction. So we already figured out what corals are. Is it an animal or a plant? You already know the answer to this question. It is worth paying attention to the fact that the most ancient coral reefs were created 23 million years ago. This suggests that polyps appeared a very long time ago. As noted somewhat above, for the most part, reefs represent a large number of dead individuals. An exception is the top layer, which was formed recently.
Coral shapes and sizes
One can endlessly say that there are a wide variety of colors of polyps. The same applies to their forms. Although most corals have the same shape, although there are exceptions, they form the most impressionable and diverse colonies. This applies not only to shape, but also to color, as well as size. The smallest colonies are no more than a few centimeters long, and giants of the genus can reach 5-6 meters. As for the form, this is a separate conversation.
Some colonies can be very simple and represent a twig or a hook. Others are distinguished by their complexity. For example, the shape of a shrub or colony resembling the shape of a tree is not uncommon. One can endlessly wonder how such simple organisms form something so beautiful and complex. There are representatives growing not in breadth, but in breadth. Such colonies resemble mushrooms or small carpets. You are probably wondering what corals eat? Is it an animal or a plant? Of course, in most cases, they capture microorganisms, among which there may be both those and others (plankton).
Coral color and habitat
Coloring may be different. But most often you can see colonies of brown and red. A little less common are orange. Finding a green, pink, or black colony is even harder. In the end, not every scuba diver saw corals of blue-violet or bright yellow color. They are considered very rare and do not live everywhere. As you can see, coral can be of a very different color. This is an animal or plant, you already know, so let's talk about where the colonies live.
The main habitat of corals is tropical and subtropical waters. The fact is that most of the species are thermophilic. But Hersemia, one of the subspecies, lives far in the North. It is noteworthy that all polyps do not survive in fresh water, so absolutely all individuals live in a salty environment. Colonies settle at a shallow depth of up to 50 meters in places with the highest illumination. For corals, it is imperative that they are constantly in the water, otherwise there will be imminent death, but some individuals have learned to retain moisture for some time, for example, during low tide. The bottom line is the special form of the polyp, which resembles a shell where moisture is stored.
Some more features
You probably noticed that even the simplest coral can be of the most various shapes and colors. Is it an animal or a plant? The answer to this question sounded at the beginning of the article. But it is worth noting that if you do not touch the polyp, it is difficult to understand whether he is alive or not. Nevertheless, by touching you can feel the skeleton of the animal. It is interesting that polyps always settle on a solid surface, since silt is not suitable for them. Often you can observe large colonies on wrecks.
The lifestyle of many species is sedentary. However, some are constantly moving along the bottom in search of food. By the way, corals can be safely attributed to predators. They go hunting at night. Stick out their tentacles and catch plankton and other organisms in the water. By the way, they do not do searches during the day due to the fact that the tentacles are very sensitive to ultraviolet light, such radiation can burn them. We have already answered your question about whether corals are animals or plants. You can find photos of the most interesting colonies in this article.
