Sign up for free

Newsletters

Once a month
get new photos
and expert tips.

Photography
Main Photo Galleries Wallpapers Photo of the Day Photographers Photo Tips Buy Prints

Anthias and Soft Coral

A Fijian reef explodes in color as a school of anthias swims past. If a soft coral hosts zooxanthellae (the algae that give coral the nutrients it needs to grow) and the water becomes too warm, the algae leave and the soft coral die. Unlike hard corals, soft corals don’t leave a limestone skeleton behind and cannot regenerate.

Photograph by Tim Laman