Ceremonial Sword of the Archduke Ferdinand of Tyrol
- Owner: Archduke Ferdinand II, son of Ferdinand I of Habsburg Austria, ruler of Tyrol
- Dated: circa 1560
- Culture: Italian
- Medium: steel, wood, coral branches, gilded silver plate etched, and gilded green velvet
- Measurements: H. 78cm, B. 19cm, T. 7cm
The hilt of the sword is composed of three branches of the precious coral or red coral (Corallium rubrum) encased in a sleeve made of silver. The slightly curved blade with a presumably upper Italian forge brand has three fullers and wears a gold plating. The coral sword is a pure art piece without specific practical function, it certainly was never actually used as a weapon.
Source: heycalacademy
Source: what-the-fiish
Montipora aequituberculata
…a species of “Rice Coral” (Montipora spp.) which is native to the Indo-Pacific region. Its range extends from the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, through the Indian Ocean to Japan, the East China Sea, Australia and the west and central Pacific.M. aequituberculata is typically seen on the upper parts of reef slopes, where it is often one of the predominant species. Like many other coral species, M. aequituberculata possesses zooxanthellae from which it obtains most of its nutritional needs.
Although it is listed as least concern M. aequituberculata (like many other coral species) faces threats due to habitat destruction and rising sea temperatures which can cause coral bleaching.
Classification
Animalia-Cnidaria-Anthozoa-Scleractinia-Acroporidae-Montipora-M. aequituberculata
Image: USFWS
(via moreanimalia)
Source: astronomy-to-zoology
Source: darksideoftheshroom
