About Staghorn coral:

• It is one of the most important corals in the Caribbean.
• It, along with elkhorn coral and star corals built Caribbean coral reefs over the last 5,000 years.
• Staghorn coral can form dense groups called “thickets” in very shallow water.
• These provide important habitat for other reef animals, especially fish.
• Appearance
  • Staghorn coral colonies are golden tan or pale brown with white tips and they get their color from the algae that live within their tissue.
  • These corals have antler-like branches and typically stem out from a central trunk and angle upward.
  • Each staghorn coral colony is made up of many individual polyps that grow together. 
  • These coral get food from photosynthetic algae that live inside the coral's cells. They also feed by capturing plankton with their polyps’ tentacles.
• Distribution:
  • It is found typically in clear, shallow water (15–60 feet) on coral reefs throughout the Bahamas, Florida, and the Caribbean.
  • The northern extent of the range in the Atlantic Ocean is Palm Beach County, Florida, where it is relatively rare.
  • They live in many coral reef habitats including spur and groove, bank reef, patch reef, and transitional reef habitats, as well as on limestone ridges, terraces, and hard bottom habitats.
• Lifespan & Reproduction
  • These coral reaches reproductive maturity at about 7 inches tall.
  • Staghorn coral is a simultaneous hermaphrodite, meaning each colony produces both eggs and sperm, but usually does not self-fertilize.
  • This coral sexually reproduces once per year after the full moon in late summer by “broadcast spawning” eggs and sperm into the water column.
  • Fertilized eggs develop into larvae that settle on hard surfaces and form new colonies. 
• Threats
  • Climate change
  • Diseases: It is particularly susceptible to white band and white plague
  • Unsustainable Fishing Pressure

What is White band disease?

• It is a common tissue loss disease. 
• Studies suggest that white band disease is caused by a communicable agent, however, a specific pathogen has not yet been definitively identified.