Species Type:
Corals, Invertebrates
Common Name(s):
Branching frogspawn coral
Size:
Branching frogspawn corals can grow up to 9.84 inches (25 centimeters) across.
Diet:
Using their polyps, branching frogspawn corals filter organic compounds and small marine organisms from the water in their environment. They also have a special algae—called zooxanthellae– in their tissues that photosynthesize the sun's rays into energy/food.
Range & Habitat:
Branching frogspawn coral exists in the Red Sea and central Pacific Ocean. These corals can be found in low-light environments with minimal wave activity.
Details:
Branching frogspawn corals form colonies of extensive branching polyps. These corals are named for the resemblance of their polyps to frogspawn, with the individual polyps appearing like clusters of small eggs. They use their extended tentacles for capturing plankton, small fish, and other microscopic prey and their specialized stinging cells called nematocysts, to immobilize their prey.