Off the coast of the Solomon Islands lurks a centuries-old entity so large it can be seen from space.
It was discovered in October by the National Geographic Society’s Pristine Oceans team. world’s largest freestanding coral. This giant coral is approximately 34 meters wide, 32 meters long, and 6 meters high, making it longer than the average blue whale. It will also dwarf the world’s next largest coral, the 22-meter-wide coral known as Big Mama in American Samoa.
“Big Mama looked like a giant ice cream that fell onto a coral reef, but this newly discovered coral is like an ice cream that has started to melt, spreading forever along the ocean floor,” says the primordial. says marine ecologist Molly Timmers. The team said in a statement:
This giant specimen is a scapula coral, named for the scapula-like protuberances that make up its body. pavona kraus. The researchers estimate that it was constructed by nearly 1 billion stony coral polyps. These polyps are tiny creatures that live together and build hard skeletons made of calcium carbonate.SN: 24/10/30).
Eric Brown, a coral scientist with the Pristine Seas team, said in a press conference that these living structures provide important habitat for many marine species. “Coral reef ecosystems cover only about 0.2 percent of ocean area, but are home to more than 25 percent of the planet’s marine life.”
Coincidentally, underwater cinematographer Manu Saint-Félix came across the giant coral the night before the Pristine Seas team was scheduled to leave the site. “In the first second, I knew I was looking at something unique,” he said. “I said to myself, ‘No, no, it’s not that big.’ [didn’t] I want to [cause] I got too excited before taking the measurements. ”
After measuring the coral’s record size and reviewing research on the growth rates of coral species, the researchers estimated that the coral was between 300 and 500 years old. Their longevity could be a boon for researchers, as the composition of coral skeletons records information about environmental conditions.
Although the newly discovered corals look healthy, coral reefs around the world face many threats, from ocean acidification to pollution and coral bleaching.SN: January 9, 2015. SN: September 7, 2022. SN: 24/4/29). Brown said the discovery is a reminder that “it’s important to do everything we can to protect our small but mighty environment.”
