Abrolhos Reef is the largest coral reef system in the South Atlantic and supports many species found nowhere else.
The reef system lies on Brazil’s Abrolhos Bank, off the coast of Bahia and Espírito Santo. Its unusual formations include chapeirões, mushroom-shaped coral pinnacles that can merge into broad reef platforms. The region is regarded as Brazil’s most important coral-reef area and a major centre of marine biodiversity.
Abrolhos is especially notable for coral endemism. Several Brazilian coral species are concentrated there, including the brain coral Mussismilia braziliensis, which is strongly associated with the region. The reef also provides habitat for reef fish, sea turtles, seabirds, and visiting humpback whales.
The Great Barrier Reef is far larger globally, so it is a frequent mix-up. Atol das Rocas and Fernando de Noronha are also Brazilian marine protected areas, but they are distinct island and atoll ecosystems rather than the South Atlantic’s largest reef complex.