Summary
Once a year, corals release clouds of tiny bundles that drift, settle, and grow into brand-new coral. Deep Look follows the start of a coral's life and how a single settler can build a whole reef over time.
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All ages
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Talk about it
A coral begins as a tiny drifting larva that settles on the seafloor and grows into a polyp. Copying itself again and again, that one polyp can build a reef -- a life cycle that starts very small.
- How does a new coral begin its life?
- What does the tiny coral larva do before it grows?
- How can one settled coral become a whole reef?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: larva, polyp, settle, life cycle.
Try it: Draw the steps from a drifting coral larva to a growing reef. Label each stage with one word.