What are corals?

Coral is like a underwater garden made by tiny living animals that work together.

Corals are small creatures called polyps, think of them as tiny sea bugs. Each one is just a few millimeters big, but they team up with their friends to build big, colorful homes. These homes are what we see when we look at coral reefs, like the underwater version of a city.

Each polyp has a hard outside shell, kind of like a tiny limestone house. When they grow together, their little houses stack up and connect, creating big structures that can be as large as a building. Over time, these homes become home to many other sea creatures, it’s like the coral reef is a neighborhood for all kinds of ocean animals.

Imagine if every kid in your class built a house, and then they all connected their houses together, you’d have a big city! That's what corals do, but underwater. They make a whole ecosystem that helps fish, sea turtles, and even you (when you go snorkeling or diving) enjoy the ocean’s beauty.