Cetaceans ID Guide

What is Coral ?

CORAL BIOLOGY CORAL DISEASES OUTBREAK INVESTIGATION RESEARCH PROTOCOLS Coral Polyp Anatomy Home » Coral Biology » Coral Polyp Anatomy Corals, often mistaken for plants due to their flower-like appearance, are animals that generally exist in the form of colonies . These colonies attach to oceanic substrate and when numerous colonies form a consortium, a coral reef arises. Corals are members of the Animal Kingdom with classification in the Phylum Cnidaria; further classification places them in the class Anthozoa that is closely related to the class Scyphyzoa (e.g. jelly fishes) and the class Hydrozoa (e.g. Hydra). The polyp is the basic living unit of Anthozoa (further subdivided into subclass Hexacorallia, which includes stony corals, and subclass Octocorallia, which includes soft corals). Polyps can occur either singularly, as in the case of anemones and some stony corals, or can form colonies, as they do ...

Cetaceans of Bay of Bengal

Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises Bryde’s Whale Family: Balaenopteridae Genus: Balaenoptera Species: B. edeni Lesson, 1828 Taxonomic Note: Some researchers recognize a similar animal for which they have given a separate species identification as Omura’s whale (B alaenoptera omura ). Confirmation of this is speculative and if globally recognized, a separate species page will be added. Bryde’s whales (often pronounced “brudas”) inhabit the tropical and subtropical oceans of the world and are naturally not as numerous as other rorqual species because food is less abundant in tropical waters. They are often confused with sei whales, but can be distinguished by the three prominent ridges present on their head. If close-up inspection is possible, the coarse gray baleen and ventral throat pleats extending to or beyond the navel are additional characteristics that identify Bryde’s whales. These whales are rather solitary in their habits, usually keepin...

Tropical Marinelife Center

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