Image 7-14
Table Coral Shelf

This large table coral (Acropora pulchra) has formed a broad shelf that overhangs the sea floor. This species of coral is native to the back fringes of reefs in shallow water in the western Indo-Pacific Ocean. It can be found from the Gulf of Aden to Southeast Asia, Japan, the East China Sea and Australia. It grows at depths of up to 65 feet (20 meters). Table coral is a type of coral known as an acropora. Acropora is one of the coral species responsible for building the underlying structure of coral reefs.