Fungia coral on a coral reef in the Maldives
Tropical coral reefs are complex ecosystems that support thousands of species of lost or damaged, they cannot be restored. Disk Corals from the Fungia genus are quite hardy creatures that easily move about on the substrate. They are solitary, free-living corals and they use water and current to get where they want to be. They can actually move up to 12" per day (30 cm). They have also been known to climb slight slopes up to a 30 degree angle, and to right themselves if they get flipped over. As the name implies, the Disk Coral Fungia spp. are mostly round, though an occasional specimen will be elongated. They range from saucer-like shapes to dome shapes and can also be dented. Other common names they are known by are Rough Feather Coral, Common Mushroom Coral, Elongate Mushroom Coral, Distorted Mushroom Coral, Plate Coral, Disc Coral, Tongue Coral, Fungus Coral, and Chinaman Hat Coral. They come in a wide array of colors The Republic of Maldives, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean–Arabian Sea area, consisting of a double chain of twenty-six atolls, oriented north-south, that lie between Minicoy Island (the southernmost part of Lakshadweep, India) and the Chagos Archipelago. The chains stand in the Laccadive Sea, and the capital, Malé, is about 600 kilometres (370 mi) south-west of India and 750 kilometres (470 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka. The Maldives is the smallest Asian country in both population and land area. With an average ground level elevation of metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level, it is the planet's lowest country. It is also the country with the lowest natural highest point in the world, at metres (7 ft 10 in). Future inundation of the Maldives due to rising sea levels is of great concern to its people, motivating the government to have pledged to be carbon neutral by 2019
Size: 3648px × 2736px
Location: Cocoa Island Makunufushi South Malé Atoll Republic of Maldives
Photo credit: © Niall Ferguson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: coral, fungia, indian, maldives, marine, nature, ocean, reef, tropical, underwater
