Heliopora coerulea- Blue Ridge Coral

Heliopora coerulea, commonly known as Blue Coral or Blue Ridge Coral, is a unique species of octocoral. Blue Coral is notable for its striking blue skeleton, which is made of aragonite. The blue color comes from iron salts deposited within the skeleton. The coral’s exterior is usually covered in a tan to brown or greenish-gray tissue with small, feathery polyps that can be grayish white to olive green. It forms colonies that can be arborescent (tree-like), plate-like, or columnar. In other words, this coral is considered a soft coral but makes a hard skeleton. This coral is found in tropical waters along the equator, thriving in regions like the Indo-Pacific and Coral Sea.