Animal Encyclopedia Category: Corals & Other Invertebrates

The lophelia coral is a true stony coral that lives in the deep sea in cold, temperate waters rather than on shallow, tropical coral reefs. Unlike shallow-water corals, lophelia corals and other deep-water corals do not get their food from symbiotic algae living inside their cells. Instead, they obtain all of their energy by eating … Read more

Lion’s mane jellyfish are the longest animal in the world! Their body and tentacles can grow up to 36.5 metres in length, rivaling blue whales which can grow up to 33 metres long. Lion’s mane jellyfish get their name from a ‘mane’ of long, thin, hair-like tentacles that hang from the underside of their bell-shaped … Read more

Although most people associate pom-pom anemones to the likes of a pretty flower or puffy purple troll hair, this species’ appearance can range from fluffy to flat. They can either be fixed to a substrate – ranging from soft sands to hard rocks, and even whale skeletons – or unlike other anemones, unattached and tumbling … Read more

Sea strawberries are a type of colonial coral comprised of many individual animals, called polyps. Sea strawberries are a type of soft coral, which means they do not produce stony calcium carbonate skeletons like many of the larger, more iconic tropical corals. Instead, their skeletons are made up of small, stiff, spiny elements called sclerites, … Read more

Bubblegum corals are one of the largest coral species found in North America. They get their name  from their appearance: they are often bright pink and the polyps at the end of their branches resemble wads of gum. These polyps are individual animals that make up the coral colony. The three-dimensional structure of bubblegum corals … Read more

Sea pens are colonial corals. Like their relatives, sea pens are made up of a colony of several polyps (individual animals). What makes them unique among colonial corals is that each polyp is specialized to perform specific functions. One of their polyps develops into a rigid, erect stalk, which anchors the rest of the colony … Read more