FUN FACTS ABOUT FASCINATING ANIMALS: Coral

Hello my name is Joshua. I am The Homeschool Kid.
Today I am going to give you fun facts about coral.

Fun Facts:

1. Coral may look like plants, but they're not! They are actually hundreds of microscopic animals called polyps that make up the coral.
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   Photo courtesy of http://ocean.si.edu/corals-and-coral-reefs

2. The coral relies on sea turtles to eat algae off of it so it can grow. Without sea turtles, algae would overgrow the coral, and it would stop growing.
   
   Photo courtesy of http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/turtle-eating.html

3. When polyps die, other polyps make coral on top of the dead ones.

4. The coral that the polyp makes is the polyp's exoskeleton. It is attached to it, but it can move in and out of the exoskeleton holes.

5. If a predator is trying to eat the polyp, it will go hide inside its exoskeleton.

6. If the polyp is hungry, it will shoot out a cord with a needle at the end so it can capture plankton.
   
   Photo courtesy of https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/sps-lps-soft-corals.221137/

Stay tuned for more fun facts about fascinating animals.

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