Not Rock, The Secret Life of Coral

Coral is often mistaken for rock.

From a distance, reefs appear fixed, solid, and permanent—part of the landscape rather than something alive. But coral is not stone, and it is not a single organism. It is a living system built from thousands, sometimes millions, of tiny animals called polyps.

Over time, those animals construct vast reef structures that support entire marine ecosystems. Coral reefs provide habitat, shelter, feeding grounds, and breeding areas for countless species, making them some of the most biologically diverse environments on Earth.

What makes coral especially remarkable is that it survives through partnership. Coral depends on microscopic algae living within its tissues, while the algae depend on the coral for protection and access to light. Together they create one of nature’s most successful collaborations.

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https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/coral.html
https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/marine-life/corals-and-coral-reefs
https://www.britannica.com/animal/coral-marine-invertebrate
https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/invertebrates/corals-and-coral-reefs
https://www.barrierreef.org/the-reef/threats/coral-bleaching
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/coral_bleach.html
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/coral-bleaching
https://www.worldwildlife.org/places/coral-triangle
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/coral-reef/
https://www.coral.org/en/coral-reefs-101/
https://www.britannica.com/science/coral-reef
https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/cnidaria/anthozoa.html
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/Coral

Видео Not Rock, The Secret Life of Coral канала Jess Rees