Coral Reef:
Scientists have mapped the largest known deep-sea coral reef off the US Atlantic coast, stretching about 310 miles from Florida to South Carolina.
- Unlike tropical coral reefs, deep-sea coral must filter food particles from the water for energy.
- The newly discovered reef, which provides habitat for various marine species, has been called “breathtaking in scale” and covers nearly three times the size of Yellowstone National Park.
- A coral reef is a complex underwater ecosystem made up of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Coral reefs are often called the “rainforests of the sea” and support about 25% of all known marine species
- Deep-sea corals are also called cold-water corals.
- They don’t rely on photosynthesis because they’re living in the dark.
- Instead, they use the tentacles on their polyps to filter food out of the surrounding waters.
