Elkhorn Coral

Photo: Ryan McMinds · CC BY

Andros hosts some of the densest remaining stands of elkhorn coral in the Caribbean, a species now listed as critically endangered across much of its former range. These structurally complex thickets in 3 to 8 m of water provide shelter for hundreds of reef fish species and absorb wave energy that would otherwise erode the shoreline. Their relative abundance here is a significant conservation marker for the wider Atlantic reef system.