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
The lesson
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.
Watch it
Where it sits
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.