Dendronephthya spp.

Carnation Coral

Guardian: Kathryn Arenas

Dendronephthya spp.

The ocean is so full of life that corals like the Carnation coral survive by drinking it. The Ocean is also full of animals and bacteria that float around looking for flesh to eat and land on the surface of corals to devour them. To protect themselves the carnation coral has armies of bacteria all over its skin, bacteria that wage war on these intruders, using chemicals to fend them off or killing them and eating them.

All corals probably have these communities of good bacteria, and so do you. In fact there are more bacteria in and on your body than there are cells that make up your body.