Taiaroa (coral) facts for kids

Taiaroa tauhou is a very special type of deep-sea coral. It lives all by itself, not in big colonies like many other corals. This unique creature belongs to a family called Taiaroidae, and it's the only species in that family! Scientists Frederick M. Bayer and Katherine Margaret Muzik first described it in 1976. Its name comes from "Taiaroa," a deep underwater canyon near New Zealand where it was found, and "tauhou," a Maori word meaning "strange."

Discovering a Strange New Coral

In 1973, something new and exciting was found deep in the ocean off the Otago Peninsula in New Zealand. It was pulled up from about 720 meters (2,362 feet) below the surface! At first, people thought it was a type of sea anemone that burrows into the sand.

How it Got its Name

The creature was given to a marine biologist named Dr. Cadet Hand to study. He quickly realized it was actually an octocoral, a type of coral with eight tentacles. Dr. Hand then asked for help from another marine biologist, Dr. Frederick Bayer. Dr. Bayer was the one who gave it the name Taiaroa tauhou.

A Special Group of Corals

In 1976, scientists decided to bring back a special group called Protoalcyonaria just for Taiaroa tauhou and other similar corals found later. This group was first created in 1894 by Sydney J. Hickson for octocorals that live alone. For a while, scientists weren't sure if these were truly solitary or just young versions of corals that would later form colonies. But Taiaroa tauhou proved that some octocorals do live by themselves.

What it Looks Like

Taiaroa tauhou has a tall, tube-shaped body. It stays in place on the soft seafloor using many thin threads attached to its base.

Body Parts of the Coral

The top part of the coral is called the anthocodia. This is where you find its eight feathery tentacles and its mouth. The anthocodia can pull itself completely back into the lower, stiff part of the coral, which is called the anthostele.

The anthostele is strong because it has tiny, spindle-shaped pieces of calcium called sclerites inside it. It also has eight ridges running along its length. This lower part makes up more than half of the coral's total length.

Size and Color

The biggest Taiaroa tauhou ever studied was about 36.5 millimeters (1.4 inches) long. Its widest part was about 6.5 millimeters (0.26 inches) across. The part with the tentacles could pull back to about 14.5 millimeters (0.57 inches). The coral's body is not see-through and is a beige color. The threads that hold it to the seafloor are often covered with bits of sand and mud.

Reproduction

Taiaroa tauhou is a solitary coral, meaning it lives alone. It reproduces only by sexual reproduction, which involves eggs and sperm.

How it Reproduces

Scientists are still learning exactly how it reproduces. One coral that was studied had both eggs and sperm-producing parts. This might mean it is a hermaphrodite, an animal that has both male and female reproductive organs. However, other corals found only had eggs or were only male.

It's possible that the male corals release their sperm, and the female corals take it in. This would lead to fertilization happening inside the female. If this is the case, then the animals would not be hermaphrodites, but rather separate males and females. More research is needed to fully understand their reproduction.

See also

• In Spanish: Taiaroa tauhou para niños