Fimbriaphyllia paradivisa
A threatened Indo-Pacific coral recorded by NOAA
“I live from the Red Sea to the central Pacific Ocean. I grow in quiet reef places, where the light is soft and the waves do not hit too hard. My body branches apart, and from each branch, large soft polyps open with long tentacles. Small sea animals move near me, around the gentle spaces I help make. I am not seen everywhere. I need calm water to live well. But even calm places are changing now. If the water grows too warm or the reef becomes less safe, my soft tentacles may close, and the quiet life around me may begin to fade.”