Beneath the soft bodies of scleractinian, or stony corals, polyps secrete a calcium carbonate skeleton, and it is this skeleton that becomes the foundation of coral reef ecosystems. Coral colonies ...

And yet, with ocean temperatures rising, coral reefs are disappearing at an alarming rate. Learn more about the Coral Reef Rescue Initiative, a partnership to safeguard globally significant coral ...

Corals are found in all of Earth's oceans, from tropical to freezing temperatures, however they only build coral reefs in warm, shallow seas in the tropics. Among the biggest and best-known are the ...

Those polyps clone themselves over and over again, eventually forming larger coral colonies that build reefs. That’s how typical reef-building corals, like the iconic elkhorn and staghorn ...

Coral reefs are some of the world's most diverse ecosystems. Despite making up less than 1% of the world's oceans, one quarter of all marine species spend some portion of their life on a reef.