blue coral

Blue corals are quite unique corals. They are the only members of the Order Helioporacea, Family Helioporidae. Furthermore, despite the fact that they produce a hard skeleton, they are not considered hard corals but soft corals.

And while you may think these corals have a blue color on the outside, they are in fact often brown. What's blue is their skeleton, which is rich in iron salts.

These corals have a large range; they are found in the Indian and Pacific Ocean, with the largest colony believed to be located off Ishigaki Island in southwestern Japan.