Coral Reef under Sunbeams

Reef corals are animals, but most of them have tiny algae living inside their tissue that turn sunlight into food. That partnership is why reefs grow in shallow, clear water. Sunbeams reach all the way down to the sand through a healthy reef, about as colorful a coral reef jigsaw puzzle as the sea can offer. When the sea gets too warm, corals push the algae out and turn white, which is what scientists call bleaching.