Pillar coral

Photo: Julien Chalifour · CC BY-NC

Pillar coral is one of only a handful of coral species that extend their polyps during daylight hours, giving colonies a furry, almost tactile appearance. Once common across the Caribbean, it has suffered population declines exceeding 80 percent in recent decades due to stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD), a fast-moving lesion disease first documented in Florida in 2014 that has spread throughout the wider Caribbean. The Cousteau Reserve's pillars represent a regionally significant refuge population that scientists are actively monitoring.