Elkhorn coral
Acropora palmata
- Scientific name
- Acropora palmata
- Group
- Cnidarians (corals, anemones, jellyfish)
- Rarity
- Rare
- Where to see it
- Caribbean & Tropical Atlantic
- Conservation status (IUCN)
- Critically endangered
Did you know?
Elkhorn coral grows in broad branching antler-like shapes and once formed the backbone of Caribbean reefs, before disease and warming waters caused its populations to collapse by more than 90%.
What defines this group — Cnidarians (corals, anemones, jellyfish)
Corals, anemones and jellyfish: the same simple animal, anchored to the bottom or drifting in open water.
- All armed with cnidocytes, harpoon cells that fire on contact.
- A body arranged in rays around a single opening, serving as both mouth and exit.
- Hard corals host algae in their tissue: it is their departure that causes bleaching.