News First-Ever Video Shows Corals Collaborating to Eat Jellyfish

July 31, 2018 – Filmed for the first time, Astroides calyculariscoral trap and devour “mauve stinger” jellyfish. In the western Mediterranean Sea, the orange coral forms colonies of small organisms called polyps. The polyps are connected, and together act as a single organism with multiple tiny mouths.



When jellyfish are carried by currents against walls of coral, they can become trapped under an overhang. Polyps then grab on to the jellyfish’s bell, while other polyps rapidly consume the jellyfish’s oral arm tips. Adjacent colonies can work together to ingest other parts of the jellyfish. The synchronized behavior allows the tiny polyps to capture and eat large prey.