Coral Reef

Coral reefs are warm, clear, shallow ocean habitats. The reef's massive structure is formed by coral polyps, tiny animals that live in colonies; when they die, they leave behind a hard, stony, branching structure made of limestone. There are two types of coral, hard and soft. Brain coral and elkhorn coral are examples of hard coral; sea fingers and sea whips are examples of soft coral. Soft coral is not able to build reefs. There are coral reefs off the eastern coast of Africa, off the southern coast of India, in the Red Sea, and also off the coasts of the northeast and northwest Australia. There are also coral reefs off the coast of Florida, Caribbean, and down to Brazil. The Great Barrier Reef, which is off the northeast coast of Australia, is the largest coral reef in the world. It's over 1,257 miles long.

Foood Weeeb:

1. Producers

2. Lower Level Heterotrophs

3. Higher Level Heterotrophs

4. Scavengers



Many coral reefs are dying. Major threats to coral reefs are water pollution, dredging off the coast, careless collecting of coral specimens, and sedimentation.