Hard Corals and Soft Corals are not so easily defined because some corals which fall into the Soft Coral category are not actually soft. The basics are like this: Corals start out as free-floating larvae. The larva eventually attaches itself to a hard surface and becomes a polyp (individual coral). The polyp is a very tiny animal (a few millimeters in diameter) looking something like a sea anemone. Coral polyps live side by side in colonies. The Hard coral (such as Brain Coral) polyp secretes a limestone skeleton cup around itself and lives inside for protection. When a polyp dies, its skeleton or "house" remains intact. The name "hard coral" comes from skeleton around the polyp. Hard corals are the reef builders Soft coral (such as gorgonians or sea fans) are more tree-like and flexible. The skeleton of soft corals is located within their bodies, giving them form but allowing them to move with the waves. When you look at a coral formation you are looking at a colony of corals or lots of polyp "houses" (in the case of hard corals). Many identical coral individuals next to each other, forming a texture, pattern or structure. The pattern's characteristics are determined by the coral's species. Besides the skeleton location, most hard corals have 6 tentacles where most soft corals have 8.
It is a hard coral
hard coral
Hard
hard
It is difficult or hard to identify a coral specimen
No. soft coral polyps have eight feathery tenticles whereas hard coral polyps have flat tenticles. :)
It is a hard coral that is usually lace like in apearence and come in a variety of colours.
I believe that the Coral specimen is hard and rocky, though there could also be specimens that are soft, considering that Coral comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors. It is more often hard and bumpy than soft like a sponge.
well their is soft coral and hard coral +brain coral breanha coral lily coral and extra coral
for one, hard coral has less give making it rather hard. Soft coral on the other hand, is mainly comprised of sponges, sand, sea cucumbers, and feather mattresses
The Great Barrier Reef is made up of both hard corals and soft corals. The term 'soft coral' is the name given to the coral group with the scientific name of Alcyonacea. They are different from hard coral polyps, which have multiples of six tentacles, by the fact that the soft coral polyps always have eight tentacles.
Niether. Sea anemones are not corals, though they are related to them.