We can all help protect our fragile coral reefs by not standing on or touching them, possibly crushing its tiny polyps, and by cleaning beach trash that may find its way to our beautiful oceans. Corals need warm clear waters, shallow enough to capture sunlight in order to photosynthesize. In waters too deep or murky corals are generally not found. The larvae will drift with the current until it finds a hard bottom to attach itself. Once the larvae attaches to the bottom it quickly changes into a polyp.
Corals have a type of body form called a polyp.
A polyp is a can-like body with a single opening leading to the stomach, surrounded by a ring of tentacles. Sea anemones and hydroids also have this type of body. The coral colony grows by budding. A single coral polyp will split in two, making an identical copy of itself. The polyps formed by budding are connected to each other by a thin layer of skin.