What are corals? Coral is built from the joined skeletons of tiny animals called "polyps." Some polyps form their skeletons from a chemical called "calcium carbonate." This is the same white substance that forms bones, sea shells, chalk and our teeth. We call these the hard or stony masses. Different hard corals are sometimes named after objects they resemble. Can you identify some corals: mushroom coral, the cauliflower coral, and finger coral? Most coral polyps (1) are smaller than a pea. Their soft bodies look like little sacks with tentacles surrounding a mouth at the top. Each polyp is joined to its neighbor by its skeleton and an outer skin. A layer of slippery mucus protects the skin and helps some polyps catch their food. Polyps use their tentacles to capture bits of food that drift by. Special stinging cells in their tentacles paralyze the prey. Then the tentacles pass it to the polyp's mouth. O a nei mea o amu? O 'amu o atigi ua fausia e le tele o meaola ninii e taua o polipo "polyps". O new meaola ninii e laititi ifo lava i le tamai pi lea e 'ai. O le atigimalo o le polipo lea e taua e tatou o 'amu, e fausia lea ini kemirale ua faaigoaina o "calcium carbonate" mai le sami. O le kemirale foi lea o faia ai o tatou ivi, mifo, atgi o figota faapea foi penisioka. O le vaega la o le 'amu lea e vaaia e tatou e tusa o le pa'u lena e pito i fafo. Ua faaigoaina 'amu malo nei i mea e faafoliga i ai, e i ai 'amu e foliga o le mushroom faapea le cauliflower ma le 'amu e foliga i tamilima. O nei meaola ninii o polipo e galemulemu o latou tino ma foliga mai pei se ipu ti ae siosiomia le pito i luga ini ave taufelefele. O nei ave faaoga e le polipo e pueina ai ana mea'ai, o ana mea'ai e aafia ai mea o lo'o ope'opea ile sami. O ave o le polipo o lo'o iai ni vailaau o'ona e mafai ona faaumatia ai meaola pea tuia ai. A uma ona faaumatia meaola ninii mo mea'ai a le polipo ona pasi lemu ifo lea agai i lalo i lona gutu ma le manava. He aha na ko'aka? Ua ulu'ia ke ko'aka mai na iwiami mai o na holoholona iki kapa'ia "uku ko'ako'a." Ho'okumu kekahi iwi mai kekahi kemikala mai kapa'ia "calcium carbonate." "o keia ke kumukea like e hana nei i na iwi, pupu, poho, a me ko kakou mau niho. Kapa'ia kakou i keia na papa pa'a. Like na inoa o na ko'apa'a me na mealike no. Hiki ia 'oe ke 'ikepono i kekahi mau ko'a: ko'akohe (mushroom coral), ko'a (the cauliflower coral), a me ke ko'a (antler coral)? 'Oaku ka li'i o ka hapanui o na uku ko'ako'a ma mua o ka papapa. Ua like na kino palupalu me na 'eke li'i me kekahi mau 'awe i ka'apuni ai me kekahi i ka luna. Ua hui 'ia na uku ko'ako'a pakahi i na hoa me na iwi a me ka 'ili ma waho. Ho'opale a kokua ka 'ili he'e i na uku ko'ako'a e ki'i ai i ka mea'ai. Ho'ohana na uku ko'ako'a i na 'awe e ki'i i na ma'ai i lewa ai. Ho'ololo na 'awe i ka pio. A laila, ha'awi aku na 'awe i ko ka uku ko'ako'a waha.

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