This handout picture provided by Shedd Aquarium shows a dying thicket of Acropora cervicornis (staghorn coral) in Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, on 11 September, 2023, with some branches completely bleached and others having already died. The record-breaking marine heat wave of 2023 left two ecologically-vital coral species "functionally extinct" in the Florida Coral Reef, a study said Thursday, highlighting the growing dangers a warming climate poses for the world's oceans. Elkhorn and staghorn corals, which take their names from the antler shapes they resemble, are fast-growing "reef builder" species that once dominated waters off Florida and the Caribbean. Their three-dimensional structures provided crucial habitats for fish and acted as natural barriers against strong waves that cause coastal erosion. (Photo by Shayle Matsuda / Shedd Aquarium / AFP) (Photo by SHAYLE MATSUDA/Shedd Aquarium/AFP via Getty Images)