Black Corals
Black corals live in the deep and shallow ocean. Like all corals, they too have animals living in them called polyps. But their polyps do not make corallite homes like stony or hard corals. The polyps live in the skeletal surface instead. Each polyp has six, small non-retractable tentacles that you can see with your bare eye. Black coral polyps make a black substance that becomes extremely hard and strong. This material is built up in circular layers to form a wire-like skeleton. When you cut a branch in half you will see that the layers look like the growth rings of a tree.

Black coral is protected by international laws. Yet, in some countries, black coral is illegally collected to make jewellery. Many black coral forests in the Caribbean have been totally destroyed. Black coral colonies are slow-growing so it will take them over 100 years to re-grow and flourish once more. The illustrations below show the various branching patterns of black corals. Do you recognize any?

Can you guess the name of this coral? Look carefully at the picture to find the hidden name!

CONTINUE: Hard Coral »