Brain Coral

ocean · coral reef · builder · super old

Looks like a brain. Brain corals got their name because their bumpy, grooved surface looks just like a human brain. The wrinkles and folds are actually home to thousands of tiny animals called polyps working together.

Builds the reef. Brain corals are master builders of coral reefs. Each polyp makes hard skeletons out of calcium carbonate, which stacks up to create the huge rock structures that protect fish and other ocean creatures.

Found worldwide. You can find brain corals in warm, shallow waters in every ocean on Earth. They love sunny spots where they can get energy from the algae living inside them.

Identical team players. Each brain coral head is made of thousands of genetically identical polyps that are clones of each other. They work together as one giant organism, even though they're made of many separate animals.

Ancient and enormous. Brain corals are some of the longest-living animals on Earth, with some colonies reaching 900 years old. The biggest ones can grow taller than a person, sometimes reaching 6 feet or more in height.