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> Homepage > Welcome > Learn more > Nature > The world of the reef >   What is a coral?
Corals are simple multicelled creatures called polyps which have an external skeleton of calcium carbonate. Polyps form colonies and it is this, in addition to their limestone shells, that allows them to build hard structures that can withstand wave action, provide a habitat for other plants and animals and shape the seascape of tropical latitudes.
Corals are divided into two categories: hard, such as elkhorn and brain which resemble stone, and the soft species, known as gorgonians which include sea fans and feathers. Over 70 varieties of coral have been recorded on reefs in the Mexican Caribbean.
In order for corals to flourish, certain environmental conditions must exist: warm temperatures, low levels of sediment, clear waters so that sunlight can reach the zooxanthellae, microscopic plants which live inside the polyps producing sugars and waste products used to form the chalk skeleton. Soft corals lack zooxanthellae and therefore water clarity is not such an important factor, in fact they can be found at depths of 100 meters. When the optimum conditions are met for coral growth, these tiny organisms are capable of forming chains of reefs and coralline islands.
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© 2004 Editorial Veras. La guía Oficial del Caribe Mexicano.