The Cauliflower Coral
was important in building
ko'a or heiau (temples)
dedicated to fishing.

Cauliflower Coral or Ko'a
Pocillopora meandrina

Description • One of the most abundant species of reef building corals the cauliflower coral comes in colors from golden brown to pink. With branching colonies the coral has a fuzzy appearance. A cauliflower coral head is a colony of very small animals called coral polyps that crowded together make up the living animal tissue.

Habitat • Cauliflower coral lives in strong currents to get food and is usually the first to colonize new submarine lava flows.

Diet •. The Cauliflower coral eats nutrients from symbiolic zooxanthellae and micro plankton.