Coral is considered to be a miracle of nature due to its unique form of existence. The Coral can be perceived as a rock, an animal and a plant that are part of the same being altogether. There are two types of Coral known to man. The stony Coral, that has its own exoskeleton, capable of building reefs and the soft type of Coral, which has no skeletal structure in itself.
Coral are not a single creature, as they are usually regarded, but an entire colony of small animals, named polyps. Polyps are simplistically constructed creatures, of microscopic size, that only have a body sac, a mouth and tentacles. The body of the polyp contains microscopic algae that are in a symbiotic relationship with them. The carbon dioxide and nutriments that are provided by the Coral are used by the algae in photosynthesis in order to obtain the carbohydrates and oxygen that the Coral needs for respiration and nutrition purposes.
A part of the energy that is generated in the process of respiration and nutrition is used to for building the exoskeleton part of the Coral, the one that give them the rock aspect and allows them to protect themselves.
Corals come in a high variety of colors and shapes, making them one of the top choices in jewelry materials. Also, Coral reef have a positive impact on the tourism industry, as more an more people want to see for themselves this wonder of nature. But besides their beauty, Corals also provide valuable substances such as calcium and magnesium used in the pharmaceutical industry.
The Coral grows in mass very slowly, accumulating no more than half an inch every year. The bad part is, though, that human activities that disturb the natural evolution of the Corals and the water pollution is destroying the reefs at a much faster rate than they are able to grow.
