Corals are ancient animals related to jellies and anemones that live in large colonies. You’ll find a variety of different coral species at Adventure Aquarium including hammer coral, bubble coral and elegance coral.
Some of these corals can actually glow. In certain exhibits in Kidzone corals are placed under a fluorescent light. Fluorescent corals have a protein that absorbs light at one wavelength and immediately reemits this light at a longer wavelength causing the corals to glow.
Adventure Aquarium also houses corals that have been removed from the Florida Reef Tract. Corals along the coast of Florida are dying from an unidentified pathogen that is causing Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease. Our biologists are caring for the corals while researchers continue to better understand this disease.
Coral reefs are essential to humans as they provide food, protect the shoreline, create tourism-based jobs and are even a source for medicine.