Species Type:
Corals, Invertebrates
Common Name(s):
Leaf plating montipora
Size:
These corals grow quicker the closer they are to a light source. Colonies of leaf plating montipora can reach the size of a football field!
Diet:
Using its polyps, leaf plating montipora 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:
Often found in lagoons, leaf plating montipora exists in the Indo-Pacific Ocean.
Details:
Leaf plating montipora range in color from purple and blue to brown. They grow in whorl-like formations with flat plates extending from a single base.