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3 Types of Acropora Coral

3 Types of Acropora Coral

Written by Leisure Pro Staff
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Published on April 19, 2014

Acropora coral are some of the most beautiful reef coral found in our planet’s seas. Some of them grow as vast tables, while have tree-like branches or have round habit like certain shrubs or bunches of flowers. Though they look like plants, coral are animals. They’re polyps that build skeletons of calcium carbonate around them and live in great colonies. The more beautiful types of acropora coral have become popular in marine aquaria but can be difficult to keep healthy. However, they grow very quickly under the right conditions. Though there are close to 150 species of acropora coral, here are three of the most recognized by divers and ocean enthusiasts alike.

Staghorn

Staghorn coral can be found from the Caribbean Sea to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to the Gulf of Mexico to the waters around Malaysia. This is a type of coral that has branches that resemble the antlers of deer. Some can grow up to six feet tall and can grow very quickly. Like most coral, it has a complicated reproductive biology and usually reproduces asexually. It can also reproduce sexually when the animal releases eggs and sperm into the water. Staghorn coral is considered critically endangered.

Acropora Pulchra

This is another type of staghorn coral and is notable because the colonies can grow in huge plates. It’s often found in reefs in lagoons in the seas around Asia and Australia in depths from three to 65 feet. This type of coral eats plankton through the polyps catching it with their tentacles or from a symbiotic relationship with dinoflagellates. Like the other staghorn coral, it can reproduce both sexually and asexually. Unlike staghorn coral, acorpora pulchra isn’t considered endangered, though it’s sensitive to pollution and changes in the water temperature.

Cerealis Acropora

The beautiful cerealis acropora coral can sport a purplish coloring that can remind people of grape hyacinth or lavender. It’s found in the Great Barrier Reef and in the waters off Fiji. Some are also found in the Indian Ocean, off the southeastern coast of Africa and as far north as the horn of Africa. It has thin branches that interlock and often form shapes like clusters of flowers.

Leisure Pro Staff

Leisure Pro Staff

Marketing Director for LeisurePro