✨ What makes coral special?
- They are created by animals, not solely by geological processes: coral polyps are small cnidarians unrelated to echinoderms cnidarians. Many of them live in colonies and build around themselves secrete a solid calcium carbonate skeleton that gradually becomes part of the shared structure.
- Every surface pattern once had a purpose: the round or star-shaped pits are corallites—the homes of individual the living quarters of polyps. Small walls and partitions, and channels supported the living colony, so the pattern is not merely a decorative ornament.
- Natural and fossil coral are not the same: the skeleton of modern coral remains biological in origin by carbonate material, while fossil coral over millions over the course of years may recrystallize, be filled, or replaced with calcite, chalcedony, and other minerals.


