Pillar Coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus)

Also known as Caribbean Pillar Coral, Digitate Coral

Description

Also known as Caribbean Pillar Coral, Digitate Coral.

Found over shallow, flat, and gently sloping surfaces of the reef, often with extended polyps, both day and night.
They feed on plankton.
Length - 3m
Depth - 0-20m
Widespread Western Atlantic, Caribbean

Stony corals have hard stony skeletons, their polyps have six tentacles or are made up of multiples of six. These are usually nocturnal, however if the sky's are overcast, then many will feed during the day.
Generally the more robust corals life on exposed areas, while the smaller corals live in sheltered lagoons or deeper waters.
Stony corals are reef building corals and embedded in their flesh are thousands of minute single-celled marine plants called zooxanthellae which accounts for their colour.
These corals support a huge diversity of life, their main predator being the crown-of-thorns sea star. Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillar_coral

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