Amazing soft coral rock Coral is the basic building block from which many tropical islands are made. But the coral itself begins life as a polyp a tiny mass of cells that are ejected from the parent body and swept along by ocean currents. Eventually it will reach a permanent sire where it can lay anchor. Stony coral will form a skeleton soon after the larva is attached to a firm base. It will secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard, stony skeleton.
Stony coral is the most common sort but there is another type of coral soft coral.
Soft coral is able to take on many shapes, In fact, it is known as a flower animal because of the shapes and colors it can assume. Like stony coral, soft coral begins it s life as a tiny larva secreted by it s parent. Unlike it s stony cousin, however, it does not secrete large amounts of calcium. This means that the soft coral is far more flexible and able to grow at a much faster rate. The polyp of the soft coral has small side branches which give it a featherlike appearance.