CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Scientists and researchers from the Harte Research Institute just returned from a trip to Florida, and on Tuesday, Oct. 14, they were looking over some of their souvenirs.
These aren't typical touristy souvenirs. These scientists brought back more than 200 coral specimens from an offshore nursery in the Florida Keys.
The Harte Research Institute will use these samples to try and understand how resilient or resistant coral is to environmental change. They also want to find out how to monitor the health of coral reefs.
So what exactly is coral?
"Corals are animals. I like to call them snotty rocks because they look just like a rock, but they're alive. And what's really unique about corals is that it's an animal that has a plant that lives inside of it and then it makes a rock so when it grows over time, it makes this structure that provides habitat and home and food for about 25 percent of marine species," Keisha Bahr said.
Bahr is the chair of Coral Reef and Ocean Health at the Harte Research Institute.
Coral structures can be huge. Some, like the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia, are enormous they can be seen from outer space.
Did you know there is a coral reef about 100 miles off the coast of Texas? It's called the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary and it's a popular destination for divers.
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