Many coral polyps (left) collectively grow into a coral structure by laying down calcium carbonate cups (right). How they grow together is a kind of biological packing problem. Shutterstock. The ...

Corals rely on algae for nutrition, so once the algae has gone, this weakens the coral polyp and if the algae doesn’t return to the polyp, the coral will eventually die. Recovery is possible in some ...

Single-polyp metabolomics reveals biochemical structuring of the coral holobiont at multiple scales. Communications Biology , 2023; 6 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05342-8 Cite This Page : ...

A coral polyp close-up: ‘It’s totally horrifying!’ This stunning microscope image of a single coral polyp reveals not just its beauty and wonder, but its ghastly, horror-show nature.

Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) can kill a colony coral polyps in only a few weeks once infected. By Laura Baisas. Published Apr 6, 2023 10:00 AM EDT.

This coral polyp lives as a loner and can even — very slowly — walk. Without legs. New video reveals details of its locomotion. B.M. Lewis et al/PLOS One 2025 () ...

Then the coral polyps kick out the offending algae, and only the clear polyps and white limestone structures they’ve built remain, producing the “bleaching” effect. What's the future of coral ...

Coral is comprised of tiny individual creatures called polyps, which form a connected hardened shell when living en masse in a colony. The average polyp grows to about a quarter of an inch. 4 ...