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Grooved Brain Coral

Named after its grooved pattern and round shape resembling a brain, the grooved brain coral can be found in warm water throughout the Caribbean, Bahamas, and southern Florida.

 

Grooved brain coral typically settles on soft, loose sediment. Grooved brain coral tends to grow longer in shallower water, and colonies can grow to be up to 1-2 meters (3.2 – 6.5 feet) in diameter. Due to this coral’s symbiotic relationship with single-celled algae, it needs to be in reach of proper sunlight to thrive, so its maximum depth is approximately 50 meters (164 feet). Grooved brain coral can be a variety of colors from tans, yellows, and grays.  

This coral feeds primarily during the night, retracting its tentacles during the daylight hours, and extending them out at night. It is sustained by small marine invertebrates floating in the water and the energy and nutrients it gains from its symbiotic relationship with photosynthesizing algae. It reproduces by internally fertilizing the eggs and then releasing them in a broadcast spawn. This release is thought to be triggered by environmental conditions such as high air temperature, low sunlight, low wind speeds, or even the beginning of a rainy weather season. 

 

 

Common coral diseases and climate change are the greatest threats to these corals. The warming of ocean temperatures leads to mass coral bleaching events and increases susceptibility to diseases — such as Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD), which can cause a complete loss of colonies within weeks to months.  

But climate change isn’t the only threat; they also are vulnerable to ocean acidification, overfishing, and the impacts of land-based pollution — including coastal development, agricultural runoff, and oil and chemical spills.  

These threats have led to grooved brain coral being designated as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List.  

 

 

In United States waters, it is illegal to harvest corals commercially, and they are also listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) which provides certain protections. But these efforts alone aren’t enough. Oceana campaigns to tackle climate change by stopping the expansion of offshore drilling — a major contributor to the crisis.  

 

 

 

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