Staghorn coral
Acropora yongei
- On view
- Ocean in Motion
- Animal type
- Invertebrates
- Ecosystem
- Coral reefs
- Relatives
- Staghorn corals, other corals, sea anemones, jellies; Phylum: Cnidaria; Order: Madreporaria; Family: Acroporidae
- Diet
- Polyps filter out small organisms, symbiotic zooxanthellae (photosynthetic algae) provide nutrients
- Range
- Shallow tropical coral reefs and rocky shores around the world, including the southwest and northern Indian Ocean, and the Indo-Pacific, and the southern Red Sea
- Size
- Up to 79 in. (200 cm) wide
Meet the staghorn coral
These hard, reef-building corals grow in a variety of shapes and colors.
International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
The IUCN Red List is a global system that evaluates the conservation status of species and classifies them based on their risk of extinction.
Least concern
Near threatened
Vulnerable
Endangered(active)
Critical
Extinct in wild
Extinct
Natural history
Acropora yongei is one of many staghorn corals. Scientists currently recognize around 150 types, and more may be hiding in plain sight. Even experts struggle to tell them apart because these corals grow in a bewildering variety of shapes.
Polyps extract calcium carbonate from the water column and use it to build a hard skeleton. A single, small reef may have hundreds of Acropora colonies growing on it. Their appearance varies from flat, plate-like colonies to pillow-like clumps and antler-like branches from which they get their common name.
These fast-growing corals are skilled reef builders and key members of coral reef communities around the world.
Conservation
The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the staghorn coral as endangered due to decreasing populations.
Many staghorn species are at risk. Under U.S. law, 10 Acropora species are listed as threatened. Globally, the picture for all reef-building corals worsened in the latest assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. As of 2024, 44 percent of 892 warm-water reef-building coral species are threatened, up from one-third in 2008. The study cited climate change as the leading threat, and suggests the best solution to save staghorn corals is to cut our greenhouse gas emissions.
Cool facts
- Staghorn coral is one of the fastest-growing corals: its branches can stretch four to eight inches (10–20 cm) in a single year.
- These corals are likely eaten by some species of echinoderms, mollusks, and fish.
- Staghorn coral is hermaphroditic: each tiny coral animal in the colony is both “mother” and “father” at once, releasing its eggs and sperm into the open water for fertilization.
- The staghorn coral can show intense green fluorescence under blue light.
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