Scientists discover ‘mega coral’ in South Pacific, offering glimmer of hope
World’s largest coral, three times bigger than previous record, was found near the Solomon Islands.
Scientists have discovered the world’s largest coral near the Solomon Islands, a ‘mega coral’ three times bigger than the previous record. Photo: AFPScientists say they found the world’s largest coral near the Pacific’s Solomon Islands, announcing a significant discovery “pulsing with life and colour”.
The coral is so large that researchers sailing the crystal waters of the Solomon group of islands initially thought they had come across a hulking shipwreck.
“Just when we think there is nothing left to discover on planet Earth, we find a massive coral made of nearly one billion little polyps, pulsing with life and colour,” marine ecologist Enric Sala said.
The researchers said the stand-alone structure had been growing for 300 years, formed from a “complex network” of tiny coral animals. They explained that it was different from a coral reef made from many distinct coral colonies.
Measuring 34 metres wide and 32 metres long, the team said the “mega coral” was three times bigger than the previous record holder – a coral called “Big Momma” in American Samoa.
“While Big Momma looked like a huge scoop of ice cream plopped down on the reef, this newly discovered coral is as if the ice cream started to melt, spreading forever along the sea floor,” said lead scientist Molly Timmers.
It was longer than a blue whale and was thought to be “so colossal” that it could “be seen from space”.
The coral was discovered at the southeastern tip of the Solomon Islands in an area known as the Three Sisters.
It was spotted by a National Geographic team on a scientific expedition in the region.
Hotter and more acidic oceans have drained the life from corals in many of the region’s tropical waters, including Australia’s famed Great Barrier Reef.
But this latest discovery offered a small glimmer of hope, the research team said.
“There is so much to learn about the richness of marine life and the ocean ecosystem, but this finding opens doors of knowledge,” said top Solomon Islands official Collin Beck.
“More scientific research is needed to better understand our rich biodiversity and our planet.”
Agence France-Presse
What exactly is coral?
Corals are invertebrate animals – those that neither develop nor retain a vertebral column – belonging to a large group of colourful and fascinating animals called Cnidaria. Other animals in this group include jellyfish and sea anemones.
All Cnidarians have a stomach with a single mouth opening surrounded by stinging tentacles (see graphic). Each coral animal is called a polyp. Most corals live in large groups or colonies of hundreds or thousands of identical polyps. These are called coral reefs.
Coral reefs offer both food and protection for various marine animals. Tiny creatures use the coral as a hiding place, while fish that eat algae prevent the coral from being overgrown.