Fact Friday

Bubble Coral

The coral in the photograph looks more like a soft coral than a hard coral. Corals in the genus Plerogyra, termed bubble or grape corals, expand their water-filled bubbles or vesicles during the day in order to maximize the exposure of their symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) to sunlight. At night, the vesicles retract so that their tentacles can expand to feed on small organisms. Watch this video to see the vesicles expanding: https://youtu.be/r5I6TM3nnbU

Photo Credit: Annelise Hagan

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October 20, 2023

Sea Turtle

Sea turtles can hold their breath for 4-7 hours while sleeping and resting. How do they do it? Sea turtles are reptiles; like humans, they breathe air. They cannot breathe underwater. When a sea turtle is inactive, its metabolism and heartbeat “slows down,” which decreases the amount of oxygen it uses in its blood. Sea turtles can slow their heartbeat so that it only beats once every nine minutes! For comparison, the human heart beats an average of 80 times in one minute. One breath from the surface can go a long way for these amazing animals.

Photo Credit: Ken Marks