{"id":43860,"date":"2024-11-14T21:08:11","date_gmt":"2024-11-14T20:08:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/46af7da2-31ee-435b-9fd1-702c8506f5d6"},"modified":"2024-11-15T02:27:26","modified_gmt":"2024-11-15T01:27:26","slug":"ive-never-seen-anything-quite-this-massive-or-impressive-scientists-discover-something-so-huge-it-can-be-seen-from-space","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/ive-never-seen-anything-quite-this-massive-or-impressive-scientists-discover-something-so-huge-it-can-be-seen-from-space\/","title":{"rendered":"I’ve never seen anything quite this massive or impressive.”\u00a0Scientists discover something so huge it can be seen from space…"},"content":{"rendered":"

The world’s\u00a0largest\u00a0coral has been discovered <\/p>

By Melissa Hobson\n <\/p>

Published: Thursday, 14 November 2024 at 20:08 PM<\/p>

\n\n

Researchers\u00a0on an expedition\u00a0in the Solomon Islands\u00a0have discovered the world\u2019s largest coral colony.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

The National Geographic Pristine\u00a0Seas team\u00a0was on\u00a0expedition<\/a>\u00a0to the Solomon Islands\u00a0when they found the\u00a0enormous colony in the\u00a0Three Sisters island group.\u00a0It\u00a0is so large that the\u00a0expedition team thought, at\u00a0first, that it\u00a0was a shipwreck.<\/p>

\u00a0But when cinematographer\u00a0Manu San\u00a0F\u00e9lix\u00a0went down for a closer look, he realised it was an enormous\u00a0Pavona\u00a0clavus,\u00a0<\/em>also known as shoulder coral.<\/p>

The team was due to leave the area the next\u00a0morning \u2013 they had to pick up a piece of equipment at 9am \u2013 but\u00a0they knew this\u00a0discovery was too important to overlook.\u00a0So, they planned a 6am dive to\u00a0take the coral\u2019s measurements before they had to move on.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cWe altered our schedule and assembled a scientific\u00a0team\u00a0of\u00a0about 12 individuals to go down and document this mega coral,\u201d\u00a0says\u00a0Eric Brown, a leading global coral expert,\u00a0on the\u00a0Pristine Seas\u00a0expedition team.\u00a0\u201cIn the 30 plus years that I’ve been doing coral\u00a0reef research, I’ve never seen anything quite this massive or impressive.\u00a0It’s\u00a0really\u00a0spectacular.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

How big is the coral?<\/h2>
Measuring 34 metres wide, 32 metres long and 5.5 metres high,\u00a0with a circumference of 183 metres,\u00a0this\u00a0mega coral\u00a0is the largest individual colony in the world.\u00a0Based on its dimensions, the experts estimate\u00a0it\u00a0could be around 300 years old.\u00a0Brown describes this behemoth as \u201csubstantially larger\u201d than\u00a0any other known colonies.<\/p>

Coral reefs guide: what is coral and coral bleaching, and species to spot<\/a><\/li> <\/ul>
\u201cMaking a discovery of this significance is the ultimate dream of\u00a0every scientist and explorer,\u201d says\u00a0Paul Rose\u00a0who led the expedition.<\/p>
What is a coral colony and how does it develop?<\/h2>
Coral polyps are tiny animals that are related to \u00a0jellyfish<\/a>.\u00a0Coral larvae\u00a0settles\u00a0on the seabed,\u00a0and\u00a0grows into polyps, which multiply into genetically identical\u00a0polyps.\u00a0Together, thousands of these polyps can make a colony, which\u00a0function like one organism.<\/p>
Various colonies \u2013 often of different coral species \u2013 make up a coral reef, which\u00a0becomes\u00a0a home for many marine animals,\u00a0provides food and livelihoods to local communities, and even protects coastlines from the impacts of strong storms by creating a buffer to quell the waves.<\/p>
Why is coral so important?<\/h2>
This discovery shines a light on the importance of reefs around the world. \u201cCoral reef ecosystems \u00a0comprise\u00a0only about 0.2% of the ocean’s area, yet they contain over 25% of the marine species on the\u00a0planet,\u201d says Brown.\u00a0<\/p>
However, only\u00a08.4% of the ocean is\u00a0currently\u00a0protected. Coral reefs face many threats including warming waters, overfishing, nutrient run off, and pollution.\u00a0\u201cThey’re very vulnerable ecosystems,\u201d says Brown.\u00a0\u201cSo,\u00a0it’s\u00a0important for us to do whatever we can to protect these environments that are small,\u00a0yet mighty.\u201d<\/p>
Even though they didn\u2019t know about the existence of this mega coral, the local community has been taking steps to protect their marine habitats for 15 years. \u201cAll we have in mind is that we want to preserve our marine environment for the future of our children,\u201d says Chief\u00a0Dennis Marita, Director of Culture at the Solomon Islands Ministry of Culture & Tourism.\u00a0\u201cNow, it has paid off. It has paid off.\u201d<\/p>
Top image: San Felix\/National Geographic Society’s Pristine Seas<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n
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