TYPES OF CORAL

TYPES OF CORAL

There are two different types of coral: soft and hard.

• Soft corals form in the still waters of the reef ecosystem. 
  
  They look like plants as they sway in the ocean currents, and are sometimes called sea fans. 
  
  They secrete small amounts of calcium carbonate that helps them attach to the reef. 
  
  Soft coral polyps always have eight tentacles.
  
  
• Hard corals are the reef-building type. 
  
  Hard corals give a coral reef its structure. 
  
  As the coral polyps grow, they form skeletons of calcium carbonate.
  
  Various corals grow differently, and the shape of each different type is often what gives the coral its name. 
  
  It takes years for the millions of coral polyps that form a colony to build the coral reef. 
  
  Hard coral polyps can be identified by the number of tentacles they have. It is always a multiple of six. 
  
  
  ACTIVITY
  
  Draw a table to show the comparison between hard and soft corals using these headings:
  
  Features
  Polyp tentacles
  Brief description
  Include a sketc of each type of coral in your table.