Is it an animal, vegetable or mineral? As my ‘coral guy’ likes to tell people, corals are part animal, part plant and part rock. There’s the actual invertebrate, the algae that live inside their tissue and the calcium carbonate skeleton they make as they grow.  Clearly corals are difficult for a round of 20 Questions! Not only are they beautiful, but they provide habitat for many tropical organisms.  Unfortunately, coral bleaching is becoming prevalent in many reefs worldwide.  Within the last few years I’ve seen some instances of bleaching on my trips to Micronesia and the US Virgin Islands.  Learn more with this week’s comic: urgent (coral) care

P.S. if you have a favorite invertebrate you’d like to see highlighted, don’t forget to let me know on the Contact page!