Invertebrates
Black Coral
Antipatharia · also called thorn coral
Named for a skeleton hidden beneath often brightly coloured living tissue, a black coral can grow for thousands of years, its thorn-covered branches forming complex habitat structure used by countless other deep-sea animals along the way.
Overview
The black coral, order Antipatharia, is a filter-feeding cnidarian native to ocean habitat recorded across every major ocean basin worldwide. Its misleadingly named dark skeleton hidden beneath colourful living tissue, extraordinary potential lifespan measured in millennia, and thorn-covered branching structure make it one of the longest-lived and most habitat-forming invertebrate groups found anywhere in the ocean.
A name that describes the skeleton, not the animal
Unlike most animals named for their outward appearance, the black coral takes its name from a skeleton usually hidden from view entirely, revealed only once the often vividly coloured living tissue covering it has been stripped away.
Status
Least Concern overall, though some populations face pressure from harvesting for jewellery and from deep-sea habitat disturbance.
Black Coral: common questions
Why is it called black coral if it isn't always black in colour?
This order is named for the dark colour of its internal skeleton rather than the colour of its living tissue, which is often brightly coloured in life and only reveals the black skeleton once the living tissue is removed.
How old can a black coral colony get?
This order includes individual colonies estimated to be thousands of years old, ranking among the longest-lived animals known to science, far exceeding the lifespan of most other marine organisms.
What does the surface of a black coral skeleton feel like?
This order has a skeleton covered in tiny, thorn-like spines running its full length, a distinctive texture that gives some species their alternative common name.
Does black coral only live in deep water?
No, this order includes species found from relatively shallow water down to considerable depths on the deep seafloor, giving it a broader depth range than many other coral groups.