Photos: Coral Species Proposed for Protections

Pillar Coral

Photograph courtesy NOAA/FPWC

Found in the Caribbean (map), pillar coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus) is unusual because the polyps come out during the day to feed, giving this species a fuzzy appearance. Many coral species usually feed at night. NOAA's Fisheries Service is proposing to designate pillar coral as endangered under the ESA due to habitat decline.

Published December 7, 2012

Rough Cactus Coral

Photograph by Mary Beth Angelo, Photo Researchers/Getty Images

Found in the Caribbean, southern portions of the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, and the Bahamas, the rough cactus coral (Mycetophyllia ferox) is especially susceptible to disease and bleaching events. It's already listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Published December 7, 2012

Mountainous Star Coral

Photograph courtesy NOAA

This hefty-looking species is already listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Found in the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, and the Bahamas, mountainous star coral (Montastraea faveolata) populations have declined by as much as 90 percent in places such as Jamaica. Habitat loss combined with bleaching events and disease have contributed to these declines. (Related: "Warming, Disease Causing Major Caribbean Reef Die-Off.")

Published December 7, 2012

Branching Coral

Photograph by Keith A. Ellenbogen, AP

Branching corals (Acropora spp.) are found in the Atlantic ocean, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Indo-Pacific region. NOAA has proposed two species in the Caribbean for endangered status, including the staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis), while 19 species in the Indo-Pacific area are proposed for threatened status. (Related: "Coral Reefs Vanishing Faster Than Rain Forests.")

Published December 7, 2012

Boulder Star Coral

Photograph from Nature/UIG/Getty Images

This boulder star coral (Montastrea annularis) currently has its polyps extended, lending it a neon yellow-green color. Already listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, when given the chance, it can be the dominant coral species in lagoons or on the shallower parts of reef slopes.

Published December 7, 2012

See Next: Coral Reefs

Photograph by Paul A. Sutherland

Published December 7, 2012