Coral Terminology - Actual - Then Slightly Augmented
By Marc Behrendt and Keith Behrendt
Phylum Cnidaria- Includes coral, jelly fish, anemones, and hydrozoa; radial symmetry, 2
layers soft
tissue, tentacles, lack of organ systems. - OR - Named after ancient Greek philosopher
who was first to observe and later study fossilized coral. He taught that these specimens
were not great big rocks, rather they were "great big rocks with little bitty
holes."
Radial symmetry- Arrangement of body parts around a central line; in animals, a mouth
to
anal axis - OR - Wheel alignment on motile coral, most often in the Order Coralysler .
Colonial vs. solitary corals – Most coral was colonial, living in multi-animal
groups sharing an exoskeleton, while solitary corals lived in separate "shells"
usually cup or cone shaped - OR - While colonial coral have 2 or 3 living levels (often
with front porch,) solitary corals live outside the main reef and have to commute.
Exoskeleton- Aragonite or calcite construction - OR - Slang for sunken shredded hull of
an oil tanker near Alaska coast
Corallum- Structure secreted by the coral colony - OR - Probably the best method to
collect and detain free ranging corals.
Corallite- Structure secreted by individual coral - OR- All the exoskeleton of a
regular coral with 20% less polyps.
Polyp- Individual soft-bodied animal that does the secreting - OR - What’s found
at the opening of the pomouth.
Medusa- Individual soft bodied animal that is free-swimming – (Footnote) Related
to the medusas are the wedusas which travel in swarms and the theydusas which generally
lie on the beach and watch other sea life.
Order Tabulata - Basic traits include calcite construction found in mounds, branching,
or an encrusting colonial coral, created ancient reef framework - OR - Order which
continuously keeps track of other orders and trying to constantly one-up them.
Order Heliolitida – Basic traits include colonial calcitic construction, lacks
pores or connecting tubes between corallites, less common, Ordovician thru Devonian, small
to massive, branching, in sheets, or hemispherical shape - OR - Named because of very
light weight, often floating to the surface during calm water periods. Incidentally, this
order was named after the Italian operetta by the same name, which celebrated the annual
celebrations in some species of coral; the Christmas corals were particularly beautiful.
Order Rugosa – Basic traits include solitary or colonial organism, septa located
in 4 positions, in button and horn shapes for solitary forms, in branching or dome shapes
for colonial. - OR - An Italian pasta dish traditionally consumed before or after
performances of Heliolitida
Sectioning- Microscopic examination to determine species and sometimes genus of coral -
OR - A practice among early coral formations to exclude certain types from the dominant
reef. It was ruled this practice violated natural law during the Devonian period. Shortly
thereafter much of the dominant reef species became extinct, many believe out of spite.
Silurian Period – The Age of Corals. - (Addendum) Early paleontologists believed
this was sillier than any of the other periods.
Reasons Collectors Collect Trilobites more often
than Coral
By Marc Behrendt
- Trilobite found on block of rock size of house;
- Coral is the block of rock size of house
-
- Trilobite identified by use of book;
- Coral identified by invertebrate paleontologist with Ph.D.
-
- Trilobite identified and put in display case;
- Coral cut in half to identify under microscope.
-
- Trilobite creates mental image of animal walking around ocean floor doing arthropod
things;
- Coral creates mental image of sitting at bottom of ocean and just hanging out.
-
- Trilobite prepares easily by removing matrix from exoskeleton and takes hours to finish;
- Coral has countless tiny holes to expose and takes year to finish.
-
- Trilobite is often beautiful artform;
- Coral is often a rocky blob.
-
- Trilobites do not have a Crayola™
crayon named after them.
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