Dendrogyra cylindrus
A threatened Caribbean coral recorded by NOAA
“I have always been hard to find. I grow upward from the reef floor, like stone pillars reaching for the light. My body is covered with soft tentacles, and because there are so few of us, people notice me when they find me. Small sea animals used to move around me, hide near me, and use me like a quiet landmark. Then disease came, and many of us disappeared. Now we are scattered far apart, and it is harder for us to find each other when we spawn after the full moon. I am still here, but there are fewer places like me for life to gather. If I disappear, the reef will lose one more tall shelter, and the sea around me will sound a little quieter.”