While coral reefs may be most famous as a sort of underwater architecture, the structures are formed by communities of tiny organisms called polyps—tentacled invertebrates related to jellyfish and sea anemones.
Reef-building corals secrete calcium carbonate, laying down layers and layers of the mineral. Over the course of many generations, these layers build up, creating reefs like those off of Cuba’s coast—Las Jardines de Reina, or the Gardens of the Queen. A portion of this reef, one of the healthiest such sites in the Caribbean, is re-created in the special exhibition ¡Cuba!
To build the latter though, the Museum’s exhibitions team had to work fast. You can get a look behind-the-scenes at their work in this Facebook Live video:
You don’t have to be a professional to make your own coral, though—you can do it at home, with just a little Play-Doh, pasta, and paint, one of many lessons from OLogy, the Museum's science site for kids.