Elkhorn coral

Photo: lukeromaine · CC BY

Stella Maris shelters one of the healthier remaining stands of elkhorn coral in the Bahamas, a species that has declined by over 97 percent across the Caribbean since the 1980s due to disease, bleaching, and storm damage. The branching antler-like colonies create complex three-dimensional structure that serves as nursery habitat for juvenile reef fish. Seeing a healthy elkhorn thicket here is increasingly rare and ecologically precious.