Organ Pipe Coral

Fascinating facts about the Organ Pipe Coral

• The organ pipe coral is the sole representative of the genus Tubipora, making it a singular lineage among corals. It is the only known species of that genus, so no other coral shares its exact taxonomic identity. This alcyonarian octocoral lives in the Indian Ocean and the central and western Pacific, giving it a wide but specific distribution. Its uniqueness highlights the importance of protecting this single-species genus.
• Although it belongs to the soft-coral group, the organ pipe coral constructs a hard skeleton of calcium carbonate that looks like bright-red pipes. The skeleton is formed of bright-red, pipe-shaped tubes, a structure that gives the colony its distinctive appearance. These rigid tubes house the polyps, while the surrounding tissue provides the soft-coral characteristics. This combination of soft tissue and hard, pipe-like framework is unique among its relatives.
• Mature colonies spread into dome-shaped formations up to three metres (9.8 ft) across. Each individual polyp is less than three millimetres wide and only a few millimetres long.
• Organ pipe corals are restricted to shallow waters where they receive plenty of light, typically occupying depths from two to twenty metres. They prefer habitats with bright illumination, medium to strong water currents and well-oxygenated water, and need sufficient alkalinity and calcium to thrive. Colonies often dominate bedrock and sandy grooves at eight to ten metres and are also common on mid-shelf reefs.
• The organ pipe coral is listed as near threatened, with more than half of its global population disappearing in the last ten years. Its striking colour and ease of keeping have made it a favourite of dealers, hobbyists, the medical community and tourists, leading to illegal harvesting and smuggling that rank it among the fifteen most traded corals worldwide.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Organ Pipe Coral

The Organ Pipe Coral is one of the most visually dramatic animals on the reef, its interior a grid of blood-red tubes stacked like the pipes of a cathedral organ, each housing a soft grey polyp with eight feathery arms. Found across the shallow reefs and lagoons of the Indo-Pacific and Red Sea, it belongs to an ancient lineage of soft corals that evolved a uniquely hard skeleton, giving it an appearance unlike any other creature in the sea. Living colonies are modest-looking; dead ones are spectacular, which is precisely what has made the species a target for the curio and jewellery trade for centuries.

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