Brain Coral
Size – They are spherical and can reach more than 6ft (1.8m) in diameter.
Brain Coral, given the name due to its uncanny similarity in appearance to the human brain, is a large, stony, reef-building coral. Though their appearance may deceive you, only their outer layer (a few millimeters) is living, the rest is made up of their calcium carbonate skeleton.
They can be found in warm, shallow water in all oceans in the world, but most commonly in the Caribbean, and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
They use their tentacles, extending them, to catch food at night. Zooplankton makes up the majority of their diet.
Each structure of Brain Coral is actually a colony of several living organisms. They only grow a few millimeters each year, but can live to be hundreds of years old. Some species have been known to live 900 years.
There are 23 genera of Brain Coral, which is simply the common name given to coral in the families, Mussidae and Merulinidae. They are not believed to be at risk of extinction and are believed to be of least concern.
