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Coral reefs provide food for swarms of fish, both large and small.
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Coral Reef in the Florida Keys

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Corals, sponges, and algae are the major components of most coral reef communities as shown in this picture.
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Coral Reef on Gangga Island, Indonesia

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These corals are dead—smothered in sediments and overgrown with algae.
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Dead Coral Overgrown with Algae

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This Marine National Monument protects a chain of atolls and reefs 1,931-kilometers (1,200-miles) long.
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Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument

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The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary encompasses several state parks and wildlife refuges.
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Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

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These bleached corals in the Gulf of Mexico are the result of increased water temperatures.
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Bleached Corals

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Dr. Stephen Cairns, a Smithsonian research zoologist, studies deep-water corals.
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Dr. Stephen Cairns

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Dr. Nancy Knowlton leads the Smithsonian’s effort to educate the public about the ocean.
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Dr. Nancy Knowlton

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A Coral Reef Watch satellite monitors the temperature of the world’s oceans.
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Coral Reef Watch Satellite

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A few corals are part of this small sampling of the approximately 35 million specimens represented in the invertebrate zoology collection housed at the National Museum of Natural History.
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Specimens from the Smithsonian Invertebrate Zoology Collection

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The sun sets over the Smithsonian’s marine field station at Carrie Bow Cay, Belize. For more than three decades, it has been home to the Smithsonian’s Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystem Program.
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Sunset at Carrie Bow Cay

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A scuba diver explores elkhorn corals growing on a tropical reef.
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Exploring a Reef

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