Brain coral, Caribbean Sea near Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

© Alex Mustard/Minden Picture

Info. Brain coral

You don’t need to be a genius to guess how this brain coral got its name. These cerebral-looking organisms live in shallow warm water coral reefs in oceans around the world, including here in the Caribbean Sea. During the day, brain corals use their tentacles for protection by wrapping them over the grooves on their surface. At night, they extend their tentacles to catch food. Like other corals, they feed on small floating animals called zooplankton and receive nutrients from algae residing within their tissues.