Brain coral
Lobophyllia
- On view
- Ocean in Motion
- Animal type
- Invertebrates
- Ecosystem
- Coral reefs
- Relatives
- Brain corals, other corals, sea anemones, jellies; Phylum: Cnidaria; Order: Scleractinia; Family: Faviidae
- Diet
- Nutrients provided by algae growing in their tissues; small drifting animals (plankton)
- Range
- Red Sea through the Indo-Pacific to southern Japan
- Size
- 3.3 ft (1 m) in diameter
About brain coral
These corals get their common name from the grooves and channels on their surfaces that look like the folds of the human brain. There's more than one kind of "brain coral"—several species from two different families of corals share the name.
Natural history
Brain corals are considered a hard, stony coral. They grow slowly and build strong structures that act as foundations of coral reefs.
A brain coral is like an entire city—not just one animal. Their polyps are more tightly connected than in other corals. Colonial hard corals are made up of hundreds to hundreds of thousands of individual coral polyps that cement themselves together by the calcium carbonate they secrete. They don't have skeletal walls between them, which lets them pass nutrients, hormones, and oxygen through the colony.
Conservation
Coral reefs around the world are in danger. Silt, or fine soil, smothers coral when it washes off the land from farm fields, roads, and building sites. More towns and resorts near shore mean more sewage, oil, and chemicals in the water.
Global warming and changes in weather patterns also create conditions that corals can't tolerate. Even recreational diving on reefs takes a toll: boat anchors can break off coral heads, and corals die when divers kick or grab them.
Because brain corals live in some of the world’s warmest reefs, they've become a prime study for understanding coral stress resistance and adaptive evolutionary mechanisms.
Cool facts
- While staghorn corals grow rapidly to gain new territory, slow-growing brain corals rely on brawn. They hold their ground by being solid and strong enough to withstand the storms that pound more delicate corals to rubble.
- Like most corals, Lobophyllia has a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae, algae that live in its tissues. The coral provides a protected habitat for the algae, and in turn, the zooxanthellae provides the coral with nutrition. Zooxanthellae also provides excess oxygen, which helps the coral remove waste material.
- Brain coral are known to have sweeper tentacles, which are specialized for damaging competitors.
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