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Coral polyps are tiny, soft-bodied organisms related to sea anemones and jellyfish that can live on their own, but are primarily associated with the diverse limestone communities they construct. Coral polyps are actually translucent animals and attach to the base of hard materials like rock, other coral, marine debris or other hard surfaces called substrates.
A few, dozens, hundreds, and even millions of coral polyps can be attached to an area of substrate. The substrate covered by coral is called a coral branch or coral mound.Image credit: Dr. Anthony R. Picciolo, NOAA NODC
