What is a coral? Is it a plant or an animal?
A coral is an animal. A coral animal is called a polyp. Most species are less than one inch wide. Related to jellyfish and sea anemones, their soft bodies resemble a double-walled balloon. The polyps of hard corals are encased in a limestone skeleton that is open at the top. Coral animals are stuck in one place, like plants. In fact it wasn’t until the 18th century that they were correctly classified as animals.
