Species Type:
Corals, Invertebrates
Common Name(s):
Symmetric brain coral
Size:
This coral can grow domes up to 5 feet and 11 inches (1.8 meters ) in diameter.
Diet:
Using the stinging cells in its tentacles, symmetric brain coral will catch smaller marine invertebrates that drift by. Coral also have a special algae—called zooxanthellae– in their tissues that photosynthesize the sun's rays into energy/food.
Range & Habitat:
In the western Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, symmetric brain corals grow in shallow, muddy environments.
Details:
Symmetric brain corals grow in massive boulder form and as encrusting plates. Like its name suggests, this coral has a brain-like pattern of interlinked grooves and ridges. Brain coral can range from green and yellow to purple and brown in color.