Click through to see the images. In a few species of corals, polyps can detach from their skeleton and float off to settle elsewhere.* Many reefkeepers have reported polyp bail-out in corals such as Pocillopora, Catalaphyllia (AKA elegance corals), and Euphyllia (hammer, torch, and frogspawn corals).* This form of asexual reproduction is generally regarded as a defensive mechanism triggered by stress, although some corals such as Pocillopora seem to do this even when the parent colony is thriving. Budding of sun corals is well documented.* Parent colonies will produce tiny planulae and broadcast them into the water.* In fact, Steinhart Aquarium biologists have farmed Tubastraea by collecting budded planulae and growing them into mature colonies.* However, polyp bail-out was not known in Tubastrea "sun corals" until this year when researchers documented the phenomenon in Tubastraea coccinea. The photo below tracks the seven month development of a sun coral polyp bail-out.* During its early days (photos a-d), x-rays confirmed the coral lacked any hard skeletal structure.* By the sixth and seventh month (photo e-f), the polyp was still alive and attached itself to substrate by secreting a new skeletal base. Leer Artículo completo...