Miscellaneous Corals

This "stick" coral, an Acropora (a gift of James Lawrence), looks and feels like it is made of chaulk. Notice the flaring near the bottom of the left stick: this is where it grew out after I originally placed it on another rock. Thus, even though it is so brittle, it does grow.

Here is a closeup of the smaller bud on the right: notice the soft polyps which are clearly sprouting from the main stalk. It is the growth of these tiny creatures which creates the sticks.

This is a "Sun Coral". It feels like it has been cast from plaster, and is not very appealing when it is dormant, as below.

Here it is when the polyps are extended. Strangely, for a creature which emulates the sun, it comes out mostly at night, and likes to live in dark places. This makes it difficult to photograph, as the above image bears out.

This branching coral sports soft tips. It is called a Trumpet Coral.

This is a structural variant of the Trumpet Coral, and is called a Torch Coral. The greenish yellow tipped tentacles wave to and fro in the water, almost like flames.