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A white wave shape.

Coral

Colorful, beautiful, (mostly) colonial coral

An individual coral organism is called a polyp. Most corals are colonial, which means they live in colonies. So what looks like a single coral may actually be composed of hundreds of individual polyps!

At the Aquarium

Home to (almost) countless living things

Coral reefs are one of the most complex ecosystems on Earth and provide habitat for a tremendous diversity of life forms. In fact, they support approximately 25 percent of all known marine species—including more than 4,000 species of fish, 700 species of coral, and thousands of other plants and animals.

Critically important—and in critical condition

It’s hard to overestimate the importance of coral reefs to the marine environment. But the world’s coral reefs are in danger. Two of the biggest threats to coral reefs are ocean acidification and bottom trawling (dragging a net across the sea floor to catch fish and other animals). Ocean acidification changes the chemistry of seawater, making it harder for corals to build their skeletons, and making the skeletal structures they do build weaker and more prone to breakage. And a single sweep of a bottom trawl can reduce a deep sea coral reef to rubble in matter of minutes—not only destroying the coral, but also the habitat for just about every other species that lives there.

Taking steps to protect coral reefs

Establishing and maintaining marine protected areas may be the best way to protect deep sea coral reefs from further destruction. Many such areas have already been established, but more are needed to ensure the health of the world’s coral reefs, as well as the countless number of living things that rely on the reefs for survival. On an individual level, there are many actions you can take that will help coral reefs, including saving water; reducing pollution by walking, biking or riding the bus; choosing environmentally friendly home and garden products; disposing of waste properly; and reducing your carbon footprint.

Quick facts

Coral reefs support approximately 25 percent of all known marine species!

Corals are considered animals, not plants, since they don’t make their own food.

The Seattle Aquarium grows baby corals!

Explore More Invertebrates

Website maintenance

Please note: Our ticketing and membership systems will be offline for approximately two hours starting at 9pm Pacific on Tuesday, February 20. During the maintenance window, online ticketing and membership will not be available.

Thank you for understanding.

Support the Seattle Aquarium

Two sea otters at the Seattle Aquarium floating on the water in their habitat, holding onto each other demonstrating a rafting behavior.

With your help, the Seattle Aquarium builds connections with our community to inspire conservation and curiosity for marine life. When you make an end-of-year gift by December 31, you'll be joining us in protecting our shared marine environment—now and for generations to come. Thank you!

An adult sea otter at the Seattle Aquarium looking upwards with its front paws resting on its front.

Giving Tuesday

Make a tax-deductible donation to the non-profit Seattle Aquarium

Your donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $10,000 thanks to a very generous anonymous donor!

Sea otter at the Seattle Aquarium laying on its back, raising its head and front paws.

Cyber weekend

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