Red Sea marine life

Coral reefs are among the most important of all marine habitats and as the Red Sea provides ideal conditions for stony corals, there are about 200 species. Most stony corals are reef builders, generally colonial. Each polyp builds a skeleton and the animal sits in a calcareous cup that it has secreted; the polyps are connected to each other by an extension of the body above the level of the skeleton. Thus the colony sits on the surface of the skeleton, feeding on algae and particles of food drifting in the water.
Coral reefs provide habitats for innumerable plants and animals. They form an ecological niche in which creatures can live, feed and take refuge from predators. Crustaceans, worms, starfish and fish all benefit from this ecosystem. Fish that are found in coral reefs include some very colorful species, among them the bright Scalefin anthias, Anthias squamipinnis, and the little Twobar anemonefish, Amphiprion bicinctus, a relative of which became famous in the film “Saving Nemo.”
Sea grasses are important sources of food for such animals as the Green turtle, Chelonia mydas, and the Dugong, Dugong dugon, which feeds exclusively on Halodule uninervis. The seagrass meadows also harbor numerous species of invertebrates.
In deeper waters there are such fishes as sharks and barracudas and many jellyfishes which look attractive but can deliver an unpleasant sting. There are also several species of whales and dolphins including the Spinner dolphin, Stenella longirostris.