Brain coral polyps start out no bigger in size than a pin's head; they begin in a free-swimming, larval stage.
Eventually, the polyp will sink to the ocean bottom, settling on any hard surface, including rocks and other corals.
Brain corals grow slower than branch corals, taking an average of eight years to become sexually mature.
Polyps can be male, female, hermaphroditic or asexual (having no reproductive traits at all).
Brain corals are considered broadcasters (organisms employing external fertilization) because the polyps release both eggs and sperms into the ocean waters to mix and be fertilized.
Brain coral is a hard coral. When the polyp dies, the skeleton remains, forming supports for the next generation of polyps that float down to the ocean floor.
