Mountainous star coral

Orbicella faveolata

Mountainous star coral forms massive, lumpy colonies that helped build Caribbean reefs. Its tiny polyps live with symbiotic algae and grow slowly in tropical reef environments.

Not a fish · an aquatic neighbor

Water

Saltwater

Tropical coral reefs from shallow water to mesophotic reef zones.

Temperature

Range not established

No dependable species-specific wild temperature range was located.

Size

Colonies commonly form metre-scale mounds, about 1–3 m (3–10 ft) across

A mature colony can be as wide as a small room.

Lifespan

Colonies can live for hundreds of years

Life expectancy varies with place, conditions, and what scientists have been able to observe.

01 · Signature adaptation

What does it do?

It is a hermaphroditic broadcast spawner that releases eggs and sperm once each year. Growth is slow, generally about 1 cm per year, and larvae settle on hard surfaces to start new colonies.

Its superpowerA colony can survive and build reef structure for hundreds of years.

02 · Home coordinates

Where does it live?

Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, southern Florida, and associated western Atlantic reef habitats.

Regions: Caribbean Sea · Gulf of Mexico · Southern Florida · Bahamas

03 · The menu

What does it eat?

Its polyps capture plankton, while symbiotic algae supply sugars made by photosynthesis.

Mixotroph: plankton, sugars from symbiotic algae.

04 · Remember this

Two wow facts

Once a reef dominant

It was historically one of the primary builders of Caribbean reef framework.

Sources [1]

Slow and ancient

Colonies grow about 1 cm per year but can live for hundreds of years.

Sources [1]