Black Coral

Black coral colonies festoon the deeper sections of the Arrecife del Medio wall from 20 m downward, their dark skeleton branching into tree-like structures up to a metre across that provide critical habitat for associated invertebrates and small fish. Despite their name, living black coral is rarely black — the colonies here display a vivid golden-brown coloration, with the black skeleton only revealed when the tissue is removed. They are slow-growing organisms that can live for centuries, making the wall's intact black coral community a marker of both ecological health and effective park protection.