Montipora Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Montipora

Montipora aequituberculata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Cnidaria
Class:	Anthozoa
Order:	Scleractinia
Family:	Acroporidae
Genus:	*Montipora* Blainville, 1830
Synonyms
Manopora Dana, 1846

Another view of the coral

Montipora is a type of coral that belongs to a group called Scleractinian corals. These corals are part of the phylum Cnidaria, which also includes jellyfish and sea anemones. There are 85 different kinds, or species, of Montipora corals known to scientists.

You can often find Montipora corals growing on coral reefs and in calm lagoons. They are very common in the Red Sea, the western part of the Indian Ocean, and the southern Pacific Ocean. However, you will never find them in the Atlantic Ocean.

This coral often grows in flat, plate-like shapes. It can spread out and cover very large areas of a reef. The coral stays attached to the ocean floor. It grows into thin, wide, leaf-like groups of corals called colonies. Bigger colonies can even grow in several layers, one on top of another. The surface of these corals often has many small bumps or protrusions.

How Montipora Corals Eat

Montipora corals get most of their food from tiny living things that live inside their cells. These tiny helpers are called dinoflagellates. They have a special relationship with the coral, which is called symbiosis. This means they help each other.

The dinoflagellates are like tiny plants. They use sunlight to make food through a process called photosynthesis. The coral then uses some of this food to grow and stay healthy. In return, the coral provides a safe home for the dinoflagellates.