First Documented Pillar Coral Spawning in the Florida Keys

 A threatened species of coral was documented spawning at exactly 9:47pm eastern standard time for the first time in the Florida Keys. The Pillar Coral Forest houses a rare species of coral that produces both male and female colonies and reproduces sexually, unlike other stony corals that can reproduce Asexually. “We were so excited to see the girls,” said Kate Lunz, research scientist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Researchers are hoping the spawning will carry fertilized larvae to other parts of the Florida Keys building up the reefs throughout. Lunz and her team plan to revisit the site to observe additional spawning events of the Pillar Coral along with other native colonies of Elkhorn and Staghorn coral. Read more here!