Coral Reefs
Know that coral reefs are built by tiny living animals called coral polyps, that reefs are home to more species than almost any other ocean habitat, and that they are sometimes called the 'rainforests of the sea'
What a learner can do afterwards
- State that coral is built by tiny living animals called polyps, not made of rock
- Describe coral reefs as one of the most biodiverse habitats in the ocean
- Explain why reefs are compared to rainforests
1 · Read
A coral reef might look like a rock garden, but it is alive. Each little bump you see is built by a tiny animal called a coral polyp. Polyps are soft, and some are no bigger than your fingernail. Over many years, thousands of polyps build hard skeletons that stack together and form a reef.
A diver named Mia swims over a reef. In just a few minutes she spots clownfish, a sea turtle, a spiny lobster, and a bright orange starfish. She swims past a sandy patch nearby and barely sees any animals at all. The reef is packed with life.
People call reefs the rainforests of the sea because both places are small parts of the world that hold an enormous number of different living things, all depending on each other to survive.
Coral reefs are built by tiny living polyps and are packed with more different animals than almost anywhere else in the ocean.
More to read
Lab 4: Finding Coral's Ideal Environment
Corals are living animals, and like all animals they need just the right home to stay alive. Coral polyps are picky about where they live. The water cannot be too cold or too hot. Most corals like warm, shallow water where sunlight can reach them, because tiny plant partners living inside them need light to make food. The water also needs the right amount of salt, not too salty and not too fresh. And the water needs the right chemicals so coral polyps can build their hard skeletons. In this lab, students look at real ocean maps. They check the water temperature, how deep the water is, how salty it is, and what minerals are in it. Then they find the places on Earth where coral reefs can grow best. That is why the biggest coral reefs grow in warm, sunny, shallow seas near the equator.
Explore more
2 · Watch
به انگلیسیTake it off screen
Where it sits
Learn first
Optional connections
This opens up
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.