Open Brain Coral
Open brain coral is not something that a lot of people have seen, or if they have seen open brain coral they don’t know it. When many people think of open brain coral they think of the type that is not open and so they miss the open brain coral variant entirely. The open brain coral species is one that is worth taking a look at because it is seemingly very simple but the open brain coral is highly evolved and very self sufficient.
Open Brain Coral An Interesting Specimen
Open brain coral is quite interesting to look at. Generally, open brain coral has a conical base that has two or three polyps extending from it that are red or green. The red open brain coral is generally found in lower light environments than the green open brain coral.
Distribution Of Colors With Open Brain Coral
Depending on where you find open brain coral you may find it in a variety of colors including yellow, brown, and blue. When you get up close to the open brain coral you will usually see tentacles around the mouth with the open brain coral mouth measuring as large as 10 millimeters. The open brain coral feeds during the evening and night time.
Open Brain Coral Colony Size
The open brain coral often measures up to 80 millimeters in length and can have just one mouth or up to three separate mouths. Open brain coral is not usually found in large colonies, instead it will be found with a mixture of other coral on reefs. Open brain coral can be easily identified because it looks quite fleshy in parts and spiny on other parts. The tentacles of the open brain coral are retracted during the day and during this time the mantle will go outside of the skeleton and the open brain coral look much different than it does at night. If the open brain coral is disturbed in this state it will retract quickly to protect itself. The difference between open brain coral and closed brain coral is quite astonishing and can only be appreciated by seeing both states.
Open Brain Coral Reef Location
Open brain coral is generally found in inter-reef areas and open coral reef can also be found on soft substrates and continental islands. Quite often open brain coral is found with other free living coral and fungi. All coral, including open brain coral, is in danger of being extinct and because of this open brain coral is found very rarely on reefs and is becoming rare even in the inter-reef areas that brain coral was found in abundance in the past.
Open Brain Coral Ideal Conditions
Most of the time open brain coral will be found in areas that provide it with moderate to strong lighting. Open brain coral also likes to be in areas where there is low water flow and seems to dwell in areas where temperatures range from 75 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit.
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