The introduction to mushroom coral

As the name suggested, the mushroom coral is a soft coral in the shape of mushroom. Inhabiting the deep sea, the mushroom consists of individual animal called a single polyp, and doesn’t have a backbone. This passage is a brief introduction to mushroom coral.
Let’s start with its appearance. Mushroom coral is about 6 inches wide, and take on two different looks. When it is closed, it looks like a mushroom with a short stem and a cap. When it stretches its tentacles to catching food, however, it looks somehow like a flower. Poisonous stingers scatter at the end of the tentacles in order to catch tiny sea creatures drifting by the mushroom coral. As for color, it can be either in one color or in mixed colors.
Then let’s talk about the habitat of mushroom coral. Mushroom coral attaches to rocks to grow, and can move after they grow up. When a storm comes, they can return to the rock in an upright position. Found at ocean depths of 700 to 4050 feet, mushroom corals are in large amount, living throughout the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean.
As to reproduction, the mushroom coral releases sperm and eggs that join in the sea to become a new coral. Mushroom coral can switch sexes from female to male and vice versa. The change of sexes is a natural part during their growth. Rarely can an animal change sexes freely as mushroom coral.
Nowadays mushroom corals are brought to home aquariums by some hobbyist. They are able to adapt to the environment of aquariums well. It is interesting to observe the lovely animal change appearances.