Boulder brain coral

Photo: Don Loarie · CC BY

The boulder brain coral at Kelleston Drain is one of the largest verified specimens in the Caribbean, its sinuous maze-like ridges covering over 4 square metres of surface area. Brain corals are among the slowest-growing and longest-lived reef builders, adding just a few millimetres per year and potentially living for more than 900 years. As a massive coral species, they are more thermally resilient than branching corals and serve as critical structural anchors when surrounding corals bleach.