Best of Mike #275

Staghorn Coral form antler-like racks of cylindrical branches. They  grow in colonies of great tangles, are a beautiful golden color and are quite fragile.

They prefer depths of 10-60ft are most commonly on the reef but occasionally a colony will grow separately in open areas of sand.

The little bumps that you see in this pixture are the polyps.... retracted during the day but extended for feeding at night.

They are a rapidly growing coral, under optimal conditions 5-6in a year and are often the site of lots of small fish and critter activity.