Vent Coral

Vent coral is a coral species native to the whirlpool reefs. The species filters and cleans water, and the coral in the surrounding area of vent coral tends to be much healthier and cleaner. The species will eat anything from dead plant/animal matter to bacteria and parasites. It has also been known to consume sand and dirt, as well as stray algae or kelp. The species' genetics and methods of reproduction leave it incredibly prone to mutation - one in five vent coral polyps contain some form of major genetic mutation. The vast majority of these mutations are harmless - slight changes in pattern or colour, different shapes or formations of its tubes, or texture of exterior. However, some of them are major, changing the types of food that the species will eat, or giving it a debilitating disadvantage such as a thinner intake tunnel. The chance for a mutation increases greatly when in small populations, as well. When vent coral became near-extinct in one section of the whirlpool reefs, attempts to breed and reintroduce it ended up in the creation of two distinct species, toxic vent coral and parasitic coral, both now endemic to that region. Due to this high likelyhood for mutation, the species is considered impossible to domesticate.

Anatomy

Vent coral has at least two tubes as part of its digestive system. One of these is its intake tunnel, which takes water into the organism, and the other is the discharge tunnel, which generally faces upwards and releases bubbles of oxygen. These oxygen bubbles are produced as a byproduct of the species' digestion. A vent coral can have more than one of either tube, and does not have to have the same amount of each.

Genetic Descendants

• Parasitic Coral
• Toxic Vent Coral

Scientific Name

Tubipora exinani

Geographic Distribution

• Whirlpool Reefs