Endangered status: critically endangered

Region: Caribbean

Threats: climate change, pollution, habitat degradation

References:

• IUCN Red List (2018) Species: Elkhorn Coral. From iucnredlist.com

• NOAA Fisheries (2018) Endangered Species Conservation. From fisheries.noaa.gov

• Oceana Protecting the World’s Oceans (2018) Corals and other Invertebrates: Elkhorn Coral. From oceana.org

• Endangered Species Coalition (2018) Elkhorn Coral. From endangered.org

The Elkhorn coral is listed as threatened by the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and critically endangered by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List. Caribbean spiny lobsters, parrotfishes, tube blennies, among others are all marine life that rely on the symbiotic relationship with the coral, which is jeopardized by increased climate change due to humans activities creating pollution and habitat degradation. This influence has cause oceans to warm and acidify which has cause increased problems of bleaching and disease, resulting in populations of coral that aren't able to recover.