Head to head
Red Coral vs Black Coral
Red Coral
VS Black Coral
Red coral and black coral are two of the best-known coral groups that people have harvested for jewellery, but they belong to different lineages and live in very different places.
| Red Coral | Black Coral | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Corallium rubrum | Antipatharia (the black coral order) |
| Group | A single species with eight-tentacled polyps | A whole order of corals, with polyps that have six tentacles |
| Skeleton | A hard, branching, red to pink skeleton of calcium carbonate, covered in soft white-polyped tissue | A dark, horn-like skeleton covered in tiny, thorn-like spines, with living tissue that is often brightly coloured |
| Shape | Small branching colonies on rocky walls and cave ceilings | Often tree-like, feathery, or whip-like colonies that give shelter to many other deep-sea animals |
| Feeding | Filter feeder, catching plankton and tiny particles with its tentacles | Filter feeder, straining plankton and organic particles from seawater with its stinging tentacles |
| Lifespan | Grows extremely slowly, so large colonies are many decades old | Some colonies are estimated to be thousands of years old, among the longest-lived animals known |
| Range | The Mediterranean and the neighbouring eastern Atlantic, in caves and under overhangs | Every major ocean basin, from relatively shallow water to considerable depths |
| Conservation status | Endangered, because of heavy harvesting and warming seas | Least Concern as an order, though individual species face pressures from collecting and bottom fishing |
Red Coral vs Black Coral: common questions
Why is black coral called black?
It is named for the dark colour of its internal skeleton, not the colour of its living tissue, which is often brightly coloured in life.
Which one is endangered?
Red coral, which has been heavily harvested for jewellery for thousands of years and is now listed as Endangered.
Which one lives longer?
Black corals, which include colonies estimated to be thousands of years old, ranking among the longest-lived animals known.