The animals on this page represent class Anthozoa from phylum Cnidaria.  The live coral images (images 12, 13, 14, 15, 16,  & 17) were photographed from the life science department marine aquarium.  These live corals obtain much of their food supply from the endosymbiotic photosynthetic dinoflagellates.  These endosymbiotic dinoflagellates (living within the coral cells) are greenish brown microscopic organisms known as zooxanthellae.  Notice the color of the live coral  is  greenish brown,  reflecting the zooxanthellae.

     Images 18 and 19 are preserved sea anemones.  The tentacles have retracted and the original color is absent.  Image 20 is a live sea anemone from our marine tank that has a pair of clown fish that live in a mutualistic relationship with the sea anemone.  The sea anemone provides protection and some left over food to the clown fish and the anemone benefits from  the clown fish attracting food to the anemone which is then stung and consumed by the anemone.

11. pipe coral  skeleton	12. live hydropora coral	13. live  elegans coral	14. live  elegans coral	15. live  frogspawn coral
16. live hammer  coral	17. live grass  coral	18. preserved sea  anemone	19. preserved  sea anemone	20. live sea  anemone