Staghorn Coral

ID points

• Branches spread up and out like stag antlers
• Branch tips are paler and are the fastest growing part
• Grows extremely fast, and bleaches most easily

Basics

Family

Acroporidae

Length

30–200 cm

Depth

1-30 m

Regions

Indo-Pacific reefs · Caribbean & W. Atlantic

Distribution

Shallow reefs of the tropical Indo-Pacific and the Caribbean

Habitat

Shallow reef flats

Diet

Symbiotic algae and plankton

Easily confused with

Barrel SpongeA huge barrel-shaped body with a deep central openingBrain CoralDome-shaped colony with winding grooves like a brainSea FanA fan-shaped mesh skeleton growing perpendicular to the current

Fun fact

One of the fastest growing reef-building corals, its branching shape gives shelter to a great many reef fish. Bleaching driven by climate change has left it listed as an endangered species.