Making Babies! Once a Year Coral Spawn Event
From and written by Animal World
October 5, 2013 by clarice
The Octo Mom pales in comparison to the Florida Keys Coral Spawn
An event that happens just once a year yet results in hundreds of thousands of babies. Imagine have just one such happening to produce all the offspring you could ever want! That’s the annual spawning of Elkhorn, Staghorn and other corals off the Florida Keys.
For just a short period of time each year, by a phase of the moon, thirty thousand coral colonies or more are synced-up and driven to reproduce. This happens in August or September, usually just a few days after a full moon.
Now that type of baby making is enough to stir the envy of any mom, Octo or otherwise! Granted, there’s not the same type of physical interaction mammals have, making babies in the animal world. There’s no dating or marriage, nor ongoing obligations. (more…)
Spectacular video by Richard Ross of Philippine soft coral spawning event
Biologists from Steinhart Aquarium collect coral gametes
On May 8, Richard Ross announced in Advanced Aquarist that Steinhart biologists were heading out into the field for “the most comprehensive scientific survey effort ever conducted in the Philippines.”
On their very first day of their expedition, Steinhart aquarists chance upon an Acropora spawning event and reported back two wonderful videos from their night dive (read Matt Wandell’s blog to watch the videos and to learn more about the SECORE (SExual COral REproduction) gamete-collecting initiative).
We now get word the team has produced yet another video, this time of soft coral spawning. The video shows biologists collecting soft coral gametes. These gametes will be carefully held until they are fertilized and ready to settle in captivity. Watch the video below.
http://vimeo.com/24080492
We eagerly await reports from the Steinhart team when they return. Great work, guys!