I was amazed. I was seeing one of the most beautiful sights on the planet! I thought it was so amazing that it even took my breath away.
All of the polyps, or coral live in ocean water. They like to live in warmer water, so they are usually found closer to land, and not just in the middle of the ocean.
Like most animals, coral uses its environment to survive. Corals feed by one of two ways. Some species catch small fish and plankton, by using stinging tentacles on the outer edges of their bodies. Most corals, like the ones I saw, depend on algae called "zooxanthellae" to provide energy through something called "photosynthesis", which is the same way plants get energy. In other words, these corals use the sun to create food! This could be something you can study in science class if you're interested in learning more.
Coral polyps live on the calcium carbonate exoskeletons of their ancestors, adding their own exoskeleton to the existing coral structure. As the centuries pass, the coral reef gradually grows, one tiny exoskeleton at a time, until they become massive features of the marine environment.
Right now a terrible thing called "bleaching" is happening to the Great Barrier Reef. Usually, coral is made up of hundrends of different colors but because of climate change, the ocean water is getting too warm and causing the coral to die. We are very worried about these reefs because it takes thousands of years to build up a reef.
