![\"Underwater](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Acropora-palmata-Yellow-elkhorn-coral-Oliver-S-shutterstock_410125813.jpg\")
Acropora palmata: Yellow elkhorn coral in the Florida Keys. Credit: Oliver S \/ Shutterstock<\/p>\nAcropora palmata: Yellow elkhorn coral in the Florida Keys. Credit: Oliver S \/ Shutterstock<\/p>\n
Two corals off the Florida coast are now functionally extinct after a 2023 heatwave, according to new research\u00a0published in Science<\/a>.<\/p>\n One researcher said he\u2019s heartbroken at the loss and this is a start warning for the future of coral reefs.\u00a0<\/p>\n The staghorn and elkhorn corals look like the antlers of stags and elks.\u00a0<\/p>\n They are functionally extinct\u2014meaning there are not enough of the species left to sustain themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ross Cunning is a research biologist at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and co-first author of the study.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTo watch them, you know, nearly all of them, just, just die before our eyes in a matter of days to weeks was absolutely heartbreaking,\u201d Cunning told WMNF.<\/p>\n He said corals support 25 percent of marine life.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why we call coral reefs the rainforests of the sea. There\u2019s so many animals that live there that depend on these corals to build that structure and that habitat. And you know, they support many fisheries, you know, that provide fish that we depend on for nutrition,\u201d Cunning said.<\/p>\n Corals are considered the building blocks for reefs, which provide habitat for marine life. They also provide coastal protection, reducing wave energy from storms and surges.\u00a0<\/p>\n To stop the further extinction of corals, Cunning said we must solve the underlying problem: climate change.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur warming planet is causing more frequent and more extreme heat waves, and we expect to see, you know, the next heat wave, maybe even worse than 2023.\u201d Cunning said.<\/p>\n Cunning encouraged people to continue to have conversations about the effects of climate change, and for lawmakers to work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n This post<\/a> first appeared at WMNF news, which is part of the Tampa Bay Journalism Project (TBJP), a nascent Creative Loafing Tampa Bay effort supported by grants and a coalition of donors who make specific contributions via the Alternative Newsweekly Foundation<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you are a non-paywalled Bay area publication interested in TBJP, please email rroa@ctampa.com<\/a>. Support WMNF News by visiting the community radio station\u2019s station\u2019s support page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n Follow us:\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0BlueSky<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n \t